Putin's push: 15,000 troops needed to regain Kursk region
The Wall Street Journal reports that Putin needs 15,000 soldiers to recapture the Kursk region. According to these reports, Russia would need to significantly increase its armed forces in the area, transferring four times more soldiers than currently present, to regain control of this strategic area within two weeks.
According to military estimates from Western sources, around 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers are currently stationed in the Kursk region. Additionally, they are supported by another 4,000 units. By the middle of last week, Russian command had transferred only about 5,000 soldiers to the Kursk region.
This data shows that Russian forces are numerically smaller than Ukrainian forces in the region.
Furthermore, the Russian units gathered there lack experience in joint combat and have not had enough time to prepare for military operations.
Russians trying to fill the gaps
Yuri Fedorov, a military analyst, expressed his opinion on this matter, stating that Russian command is trying to fill the gaps in the Kursk group by conscripting soldiers.
This is confirmed by the stories of those taken prisoner during the offensive. In videos published by Ukrainian media, conscripts complain that they were thrown into battle without proper training or weapons, and their commanders fled.
