In Kursk, Ukraine soldiers find disillusioned Russians and inexperienced troops

When Ukrainian troops started massing in the Sumy region in the country's northeast during the early weeks of the summer, it was clear some kind of operation was in the works, a Ukrainian soldier recently told CBC News.

But he didn't realize his country was on the brink of a large, secretive and carefully planned incursion into Russia. 

"We didn't know, but we were feeling something special about the situation," said the soldier, who wanted only to be identified as Wolverine, in an exclusive interview with CBC.

Over the past two weeks, Ukraine says its troops have managed to seize more than 1,200 square kilometres of Russia's Kursk region, including dozens of small settlements, in what is the first invasion of Russian territory since the Second World War.

The military manoeuvre is widely seen by analysts as both a bold attempt to put additional pressure on Russia by bringing the 2 1/2-year war closer to home and a major gamble at a time when Ukraine is fighting to hold off Russian gains in the Donetsk region.

While Russia is still advancing in the south, the incursion into Kursk has shifted the momentum and boosted Ukraine's mood, Wolverine believes.

"It's good for ... our morale, obviously," he said.

Wolverine, who spoke to CBC via Zoom from the Sumy region after returning from Kursk for a quick trip to resupply, would not comment on the current battlefield conditions, but confirmed he and his unit entered Kursk on Aug. 7. 

"We don't need any foreign territories," he said. "This operation is not only in Kursk, but about [helping] our brothers and sisters who are defending our territory from Kharkiv to Zhaporizhzhia and Kherson."

When thousands of Ukrainian troops stormed into Kursk on Aug. 6, they appeared to meet little resistance. Ukrainian officials released videos of Russian soldiers waving white flags in surrender. 

But in recent days, the battle has intensified. Russia has released its own images, showing a destroyed Ukrainian military convoy (which included armoured personnel carriers manufactured by Roshel, a Canadian company based in Mississauga, Ont.). 

Back in Ukraine, officials admit the situation around the city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk is especially difficult, as Russian troops threaten to capture a key logistics hub for Ukraine. This week, families with children still residing in the city have been urged to leave. 

In the spring, the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv came under regular attack from Russian missiles and glide bombs, and in May, Russian troops seized the Ukrainian border town of Vovchansk, leading hundreds to be evacuated under shelling and the buzz of drones overhead. 

That same month, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency told the New York Times he expected Russia to launch an offensive toward the Sumy region in the coming days.