Russian troops were so caught off guard in Kyiv’s surprise incursion in the Kursk region last week that one Ukrainian soldier recalled how they were still “sitting in the forest and drinking coffee” when they were confronted, according to a new report.
The soldier, who only identified himself as Volodymyr, said he was part of the first wave of troops crossing into Russia on Aug. 6 in a US-provided Stryker fighter vehicle when he came across the startled Kremlin forces, according to The Financial Times.
“Then our Stryker drives right into their table,” he said of the surprise attack. “We killed many of them on the first day. Because they were unarmed and didn’t expect us.”
The soldier’s account portrays just how unexpected Ukraine’s incursion gambit was as Moscow scrambles to fight off Kyiv’s forces, which control about 82 settlements in western Russia.
Volodymyr, himself, was astonished at how little resistance his unit faced as their eight-wheeled, 20-ton vehicle stormed across the border in broad daylight.
So weak was the Russian defense that the fear the Ukrainian troops felt over such a harrowing undertaking soon turned to exhilaration as they took out Kremlin fighters and encountered other forces that simply surrendered.
Volodymyr told the Times that the border and neighboring lands were barely manned, allowing his unit to quickly advance into Russian villages, seizing the towns, a railway line and a key gas transit point.
The armored vehicle unit was able to continue their incursion, unimpeded, for two days before their Stryker was hit by a Russian missile, causing their driver to suffer a concussion.
The unit returned to Ukraine on Sunday, where they met with the outlet for the interview.
George Barros, of the Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), told The Post it was not surprising how little resistance the Kyiv soldiers faced.
“For a majority of the war, Russia has had the luxury of keeping the border largely unmanned, and Ukraine’s operation proved its weakness,” he said.
The operation, now in its eighth day, has provided Kyiv as much ground in Russia as Moscow has spent gaining in Ukraine over the span of eight months, according to the ISW’s operation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky touted Thursday that his forces have now taken control of the Russian town of Sudzha, which lies more than 65 miles deep in Russia.
It remains unclear what Kyiv’s ultimate goal is in the incursion, but wartime experts have said it’s likely a ploy to force Russia to rethink the future of the war and divert troops from the frontlines, where it had been steadily making progress.
The success of the incursion has so far been a source of major embarrassment for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he faces the reality of foreign troops entering Russian territory for the first time since World War II.
