Ukraine's sudden retreat from Sudzha: A logistical nightmare

"I knew it would end as abruptly as it began," says Stas, a drone operator who fought in the Kursk region.

Stas, like many Ukrainian soldiers, has been more concerned about the growing risk of Ukrainian forces being encircled in the Kursk region than about negotiations between Ukraine and the USA.

For weeks, soldiers involved in the operation on Russian territory openly stated that it was time for the command to decide to withdraw.

The order never came, and on March 12^th, photos of Russian soldiers in the center of Sudzha, the largest Russian city under Ukrainian control, began circulating on social media. That same day, Russian media reported that Vladimir Putin had visited the Kursk region for the first time since the Ukrainian operation began.

According to soldiers interviewed by Wirtualna Polska, Ukrainian armed forces have withdrawn from Sudzha, but fighting continues in neighboring villages. However, the exit was carried out under dramatic circumstances.

- We repeated the same mistake as with the withdrawal from Avdiivka. The command waited until the last moment, until the situation became critical. Some units left in a hurry, unable to evacuate the severely wounded and heavy equipment," says Oleg, commander of an elite special forces unit.

- Those who survived are furious. Questions are multiplying for the command," adds Stas.

The Kursk operation was one of the biggest surprises of the three-year-long war.

On August 6^th, 2024, Ukraine breached the Russian border and, practically without any obstacles, seized Sudzha and surrounding villages. Hundreds of Russian soldiers were taken prisoner, and the Ukrainian army expanded the territory it controlled to approximately 530 square miles within a few days.

The daring operation caught the media's attention and boosted morale in the war-weary army. Kyiv hoped that the Kursk offensive would help break the cycle of attrition. Above all, it was seen as a bargaining chip in potential negotiations with Russia.

However, over eight months of fierce fighting, Ukraine gradually lost the captured territories, culminating in a sudden collapse of the front.

"The turning point was the appearance of North Korean soldiers on the front. The Russians literally overwhelmed us with cannon fodder, crushing us with mass. They attacked our flanks for so long that they eventually fell. That was the alarm bell. That's when we should have withdrawn the troops," says Oleg.

The Russians took control of the area once held by Ukraine and brought in the best-trained drone operators, taking complete control over the logistics.

In addition to hundreds of FPV drones that continuously monitored the entire battlefield, the Russians began using fiber-optic tethered drones, which are resistant to jammers (electronic warfare systems).

"At one point, moving along the main roads in the Kursk region became almost impossible. The chances of reaching our positions dropped to 50 percent," recalls Stas.

"Ukraine lost the battle for logistics," says Ruslan Mykula, one of the founders of DeepState, an interactive war map project.

According to him, this decided the fate of the entire operation.

"There was no way to deliver ammunition. The evacuation of the severely wounded often ended in the deaths of soldiers or medics who went to retrieve them. The lightly wounded remained in their positions for days, causing them to become severely wounded. No transport reached the front line. In some positions, there was no rotation since the beginning of the year, or even longer. Soldiers had no ammunition or good drone reconnaissance. The positions weakened. It was only a matter of time," Mykula says.

"What's the point of having twenty cannons if you can only fire one shot?" says Stas.

Stas has moved to another unit fighting in southern Ukraine. The soldiers he remains in contact with say they still haven't received an official order to leave their positions.

"There were no orders, and there probably won't be, but the units are withdrawing to Ukrainian territory anyway because they have no other choice. Many soldiers had to walk more than 10 miles because there wasn't enough equipment to evacuate them," he says.

According to Stas, the withdrawal from Sudzha was chaotic. "It was hasty, and there was a lack of communication. Some were forgotten, others couldn't be taken. There are dead, abandoned severely wounded, and prisoners," he describes.

Oleg paints a similar picture: "Some are leaving on their own strength, others are still trying to save equipment. We are taking losses. Those who managed to reach the border are exhausted and furious. The situation is tense."

Questions multiply among the soldiers for the command. Many criticize politicians for visiting Sudzha back when it was a safe rear to take selfies. "No one thought about securing the logistics lines. It would have been enough to set up net tunnels along the main roads," says Stas.

"I traveled in very dangerous sections that had nets against drones. It worked," says Sviatoslav, an artillery unit commander fighting in the Kursk region.

According to Mykula, such a simple step as setting up nets could have changed the operation's outcome. "There wouldn't have been a front collapse if the Russians hadn't gained control over logistics. Now the command of the 'Kursk' military group must answer for this negligence. It ignored the deepening logistics problem for too long, just like the first flank collapse. They woke up when the situation became critical, but by then it was already too late."

Oleg considers allowing the "Tube" operation to happen to be similar negligence. A few days before the Ukrainian forces withdrew from Sudzha, Russian soldiers used the dormant Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod gas pipeline to penetrate the outskirts. In the official version of the Ukrainian armed forces, it is stated that Ukraine was ready for the attack and destroyed the Russian unit attempting to move through the pipeline. However, a commander of a battalion fighting in the Kursk region told WP that the Russians managed to penetrate the city.

"We estimate that about 100 Russians entered Sudzha through the pipeline, which later facilitated the assault on the city."

"Everyone knew the Russians could use it. They used this tactic once already during the fights for Avdiivka. And what? We stepped on the same rake again. It's just a pity for the people," says Oleg.

"The command screwed it up," emphasizes Stas.

"The withdrawal from Sudzha is hard to call organized, but not all units left with heavy losses. Some are still trying to stabilize the situation and cover those who are retreating," says Mykola.

According to him, it is still too early to speak of a complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. This is also confirmed by the commander of an assault battalion whose unit was brought from Pokrovsk to the Kursk region.

"We received an order to stabilize the situation on our front line," he tells WP.

However, doubts are growing among the soldiers about both the political sensibility of continuing the fighting in the Kursk region and the ability of Ukrainian forces to defend without access to the city. Sudzha was the largest locality controlled by Ukraine. Without it, the foothold in the Kursk region is just a few villages on a vast Russian map, difficult to treat as a bargaining chip in negotiations.

"I don't see any further reason to hold defense in the Kursk region. The operation will go down in history, it served its purpose, and Russia suffered enormous losses, incomparably higher than ours. Now it's time to withdraw from the region," says Oleg.

Meanwhile, Stas points out the specific terrain stretching from Sudzha to the Ukrainian border. "There are no conditions to hold defense there. Beyond Sudzha, there are only tiny villages and fields. There's nowhere to hide. Besides, the Russians have taken fire control over the Junakivka (a village on the Ukrainian side - ed.) - Sudzha road. Every vehicle traveling there is attacked by fiber-optic drones."

Ruslan Mykula supposes that the next few days may be the last for the Kursk operation. "However, I wouldn't rush to make premature judgments. The fights continue, and now everything will depend on whether Ukraine can create even a small logistics arm. The Armed Forces will have to strengthen themselves on an ongoing basis, but it is achievable. Time will tell. I would like to believe that the command has some plan up its sleeve."