When confronting its enemy, Ukraine has had little choice but to fight with the best weapon at its disposal: the element of surprise. Like David catching Goliath off guard, Kyiv has shaken mighty Russia by invading 100 locales over roughly 1,300 square kilometers of its territory in the Kursk region. In the Sumy region of Ukraine, close to the Russian border, the mood among the Ukrainian fighters differs starkly from the low morale prevalent along the eastern front.

As Moscow's forces have continued their advance into Donbas, soldiers engaged on the Russian front have been hoping that "Operation Kursk" represents a turning point in the war. Although some commentators in Kyiv have expressed concern that the offensive has diverted forces that may have been needed in Donbas, Ukraine's military has remained enthusiastic about the unexpected success of its incursion into Russia, the epitome of initiative and the surprise effect put to use on the battlefield. "The soldiers were very enthusiastic when they learned the objective of the operation, and morale remains very strong. Not only is invading a piece of Russia an incredible signal, but it's definitely easier to fight here than in Donbas," said Sasha, a fighter from the 225^th assault battalion, in confidence. His was one of the units that broke through the front line a month ago on August 6 when the offensive was launched.

While Andri, another soldier, compared it to a "safari," and another, Evgeni, described the "fear of the Russians who no longer dared to advance" toward the Ukrainian forces, Sasha put the ease of the initial operations into perspective, explaining that "the Russian soldiers fought on each of the first three lines of defense." "On the first day, some of them played Rambo and had to be killed, because they wouldn't give up the fight. Over the following days, they fought less fiercely, and we recorded some surrenders." Kyiv claims to have captured 594 enemy troops.

Military operations "almost came to a halt" in the last days of August, according to Andri, a soldier in a reconnaissance unit of the 80^th air assault brigade, in order to "allow the assault units to rest" and to "strengthen the defensive posture." Still, it is not known to what extent Kyiv intends to defend this territory − if at all − when Moscow launches a counter-offensive. "We're waiting for orders," said Andri, "but I imagine our commanders don't yet know themselves when the Russian attack will come."

In addition to the surprise and the promising outcome of "Operation Kursk," the action also highlighted a number of new developments for the army since General Oleksandr Syrsky took command in February.

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