"Everything is over," Ukrainian troops talk about withdrawing from Kursk

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Russia's Kursk region have described scenes "like a horror movie" as they retreat from the front lines.

The BBC has received numerous statements from Ukrainian troops, who indicate a "catastrophic" retreat in the face of heavy fire, columns of destroyed military equipment and continuous attacks from swarms of Russian drones, the Telegraph reports.

The soldiers, who spoke on social media and were given pseudonyms to protect their identities, some reported a "collapse" after Ukraine lost Sudzha, the largest city it had controlled.

Ukraine's restrictions on travel to the front have made it impossible to get a full picture of the situation. But this is how five Ukrainian soldiers describe what happened.

On March 9, “Volodymyr” sent a telegram to the BBC, saying that he was still in Sudzha, where there was “panic and collapse of the front.”

Ukrainian troops "are trying to leave – columns of troops and equipment. Some of them are being burned by Russian drones on the road. It is impossible to leave during the day."

The movement of people, logistics, and equipment was reliant on a main road between Sudzha and the Sumy region of Ukraine.

Volodymyr said it was possible to travel on that road relatively safely a month ago. By March 9, it was “all under enemy fire. In a minute you can see two to three drones. That’s a lot,” he said.

"We have all the logistics here on a Sudzha-Summy highway. And everyone knew that [the Russians] would try to cut it. But this again came as a surprise to our command," he added.

Shortly before Russia retook Sudzha, Volodymyr said Ukrainian forces were being crushed on three sides. By March 11, Ukrainian forces were fighting to prevent the road from being cut, according to Telegram messages from “Maksym.”

"A few days ago, we received an order to leave the defense lines in an organized withdrawal," he said, adding that Russia had amassed a significant force to retake the city, "including a large number of North Korean soldiers."

Military experts estimate that Russia had amassed a force of up to 70,000 troops to retake Kursk – including around 12,000 North Koreans.

Russia had also sent its best drone units to the front, and was using kamikaze variants of the drones to "take control of key logistics routes."

They involved drones connected to operators by fiber-optic cables – which are impossible to block with electronic countermeasures.

Maksym said that as a result “the enemy managed to destroy dozens of pieces of equipment” and that the rubble had “created a blockage on supply routes.”

The situation on that day, March 11, was described by “Anton” as “catastrophic.” The third soldier the BBC spoke to was serving at the Kursk front headquarters. He also highlighted the damage caused by Russian drones.

"We used to have an advantage in drones, now we don't," he said.

He added that Russia had an advantage with more precise air strikes and a larger number of troops.

Anton said that supply routes had been cut off.

"Logistics no longer work - organized deliveries of weapons, ammunition, food and water are no longer possible," he added.

The Ukrainian said he managed to leave Sudzha on foot at night – “we almost died several times, drones are in the sky all the time.”

The soldier predicted that the entire Ukrainian base at Kursk would be lost, but that "from a military point of view, the Kursk direction has exhausted itself. There is no point in holding it any longer."

Western officials estimate that the Ukrainian offensive at Kursk involved about 12,000 troops. They were some of their best-trained soldiers, equipped with Western-supplied weapons, including tanks and armored vehicles.

Russian bloggers posted videos showing some of that equipment being destroyed or captured. On March 13, Russia said the situation at Kursk was “fully under their control” and that Ukraine had “abandoned” much of its material.

In social media posts on March 11-12, a fourth soldier, “Dmytro,” compared the withdrawal from the front to “a scene from a horror movie.”

"The streets are filled with hundreds of destroyed cars, armored vehicles. There are many injured and dead," he added.

He described his narrow escape when the car he was travelling in became stuck. He and his friends were trying to free the vehicle when they were targeted by another drone.

He lost his vehicle, and one of his friends was injured. He said they had to hide in a forest for two hours before being rescued.

Dmytro said many Ukrainians retreated on foot with “guys walking 15 to 20 kilometers.” The situation, he said, had gone from “difficult and critical to catastrophic.”

In a message on March 14, Dmytro added: "Everything is over in the Kursk region, the operation was not successful."

He estimated that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers had died since the first crossing into Russia in August. /Telegraph

Russia: The Russian fascists have retaken control of downtown Sudzha in the Kursk region. The major offensive began immediately after the US administration cut off Ukraine from US intelligence, leaving Ukrainians effectively blind. pic.twitter.com/Z8AMNyzHWX

- Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) March 12, 2025