Zelenskyi congratulates Trump on the election victory. Ukraine army chief sums up three months of the Kursk operation. The Ukrainian General Staff explains the need to form new brigades rather than reinforce existing ones.
Zelenskyi congratulates Trump on election victory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi congratulated Donald Trump Wednesday on his “impressive victory” in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together. We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership. We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States,” Zelenskyi said on X.
“We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations,” he added.
The U.S. presidential election is likely to have a significant impact on the course of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the wider situation in the Middle East, and other global issues. Europe is also watching the race closely.
Ukraine army chief sums up three months of Kursk operation
More than 20,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since Ukraine began an incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a statement Wednesday, drawing conclusions about the nearly three-month operation.
“During almost three months of the operation, Russian military casualties in the Kursk direction as of November 5, number 20,842, including 7,905 killed, 12,220 wounded, and 717 captive,” Syrskyi said.
Russia had 1,101 units of weapons and materiel destroyed, he added. Among the lost equipment were 54 tanks, 276 armored fighting vehicles, 107 artillery and mortar systems, five multiple launch-rocket systems and 659 transportation vehicles.
Russia has massed 45,000 troops in the Kursk region and is trying to further increase their number, Syrskyi stated. “Russia is lacking forces to deploy to this direction, and is trying to station North Korean troops there,” he added.
Russian forces aimed to capture more territory in Ukraine’s north, particularly in Sumy region. Ukrainian troops made a pre-emptive move by launching an incursion into Russia and continue to destroy the enemy in their territory, Syrskyi said.
“Around 2,000 Ukrainian troops were decorated for heroism and successful actions during the Kursk operation,” the statement reads.
Ukraine began its incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6. Days after, on August 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi acknowledged Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk.
Ukrainian General Staff explains need to form new brigades rather than reinforce existing ones
The Ukrainian military explains the need to form new brigades rather than bring existing units back up to strength.
In a comment to Ukrainska Pravda, spokesperson for the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Captain Dmytro Lykhoviy said: “The media and social media are actively debating the [decision] to form new brigades and reinforce brigade defensive areas with battalions from other military units rather than replenish the brigades. Here’s the official position of the command.”
“Recently, the enemy has increased the number of regiments, brigades, divisions, and personnel by almost 100,000 people. The front line has also stretched,” Lykhoviy said.
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces need to form new brigades to cover the front line. There is no other effective way to counter the outnumbering enemy. We have a 1,300-kilometer front line with active fighting all along the front,” he continued.
Russia sometimes holds a 5:1 advantage in personnel, Lykhoviy said. Whenever there is a risk of brigades losing positions or defensive lines, battalions from other military units are redeployed there. Units from sections of the front line that are not under attack are moved to reinforce the areas facing the risk of enemy breakthrough.
The Ukrainian military is not able to quickly replenish brigades with personnel. There’s a month-long waiting list, he explained.
New recruits need time for additional training and integration into existing units. That’s why complete units that can act quickly are deployed to high-risk areas.
Brigades also need to replace other brigades as part of a regular rotation of forces. Brigades that have suffered losses cannot be simply replenished, they need unit cohesion, Lykhoviy said.