Ukrainian corps commander reveals details of preparations for Kursk operation

Dmytro Voloshyn, Commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, has said that during preparations for an offensive operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi personally visited him to ensure that commanders of the 80th and 82nd brigades were not sabotaging the mission.

Source: Voloshyn in an interview with Ukrainian news outlet Novynarnia

Quote: "When they unfolded the map in front of us, I thought it was some sort of film. The arrows drawn on it were incredible!

They began explaining the plan… Then they asked: ‘Any questions?’ I replied that there would be three wagons full of questions during the planning of this operation. The first is communications and the internet, as this is the territory of another country. How are people and equipment supposed to enter? How much time is there to prepare the personnel? They told us we had one month. That was 19 June, and our deadline was 20 July."

Details: Voloshyn said that a few days later, Ihor Skybiuk, then-Commander of Ukraine's Air Assault Forces, called him and asked for his geolocation. Fifteen minutes later, Syrskyi arrived at the location.

Quote: "We managed to drink two cups of coffee… I explained to him that I understood the scope and strategic importance of the task, and I wasn’t refusing to carry it out – I just wanted the problems I encountered during the planning and execution to be resolved. He exhaled with relief because, as it turned out, someone had told him the commanders of the 80th and 82nd brigades were two ‘saboteurs’ and he had come specifically to deal with that."

Details: After the meeting, Syrskyi personally attended training sessions of the assault battalions and spoke with commanders and troops. Voloshyn said that most logistical issues had been resolved after that.

He stated that the operation had been planned following the Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP), a NATO-standard approach, and "we executed it exactly as planned". However, just one week into the offensive, Voloshyn's brigade was redirected to attack from a different direction, forcing them to flank Russian troops who had already set up defensive positions, which caused casualties.

Voloshyn also said that soldiers from Russia’s 810th Naval Infantry Brigade had been captured during the fighting.

Quote: "We captured POWs from the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces – and I learned that their organisational structure includes 13 battalions, unlike mine, which only has four battalions, you understand?.. They were staffed at 96% and equipped at 90%. When I went into the offensive, I had 76-80% manning."

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