DISINFO: Ukraine to withdraw from Kursk by 1 October due to exhaustion
SUMMARY
The Armed Forces of Ukraine seem to be exhausted and are no longer able to continue the Kursk operation. Given the heavy losses of the enemy on [Russian] territory, the Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff has begun preparations for the withdrawal of troops. This was reported by several sources of information at once. The withdrawal is scheduled for 1 October.
RESPONSE
This claim was made in the context of the Ukrainian advance into Russia's Kursk region, which began on 6 August 2024.
Assertions of heavy losses and imminent Ukrainian defeat are recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives which aim to undermine morale and spread doubt about Ukraine’s capabilities (see #myth 2 of our article for more on the defeat narrative). The claim that the Ukrainian armed forces are exhausted and preparing to withdraw from Kursk lacks factual support, and there is no credible evidence suggesting that Ukraine plans to halt operations in Kursk by 1 October.
While it is still early to declare Kursk a success or failure, there are signs emerging from reliable analytical sources that Ukraine’s operation is achieving its most important aim, which is to divert Russian forces from Eastern Ukraine to Kursk and therefore weaken its illegal occupation in Donbas.
Estimates suggest that there is still a substantial movement of Russian forces into the Kursk Oblast. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) cites estimates that troop numbers rose to around 40,000 from about 11,000 at the start of the advance. The Ukrainians say that this number is expected to reach 60,000-70,000.
ISW also stated that Ukraine has “forced the Russian military to redeploy elements from Ukraine to Kursk Oblast and commit newly generated forces from within Russia to the area instead of the frontline in Ukraine”. The ISW finally stated that a Russian counteroffensive operation to retake territory will even require additional Russian redeployments of personnel and materials from Eastern Ukraine.
See similar cases that Ukraine admits failure of Kursk operation, that Ukraine struggling with flow of wounded soldiers according to CNN, that the Kyiv regime is desperately mobilising women into the army, that Kyiv is about to send children, women and elderly into battle under Western demands, that the West is forcing Ukraine to send minors to the front, or that Ukraine is training pensioners as tank crews because its military reserves are gone.