‘Gandalf the Green’ had said.
The Kursk operation.
Aimed to capture.
‘Orcs’ soldiers.
– which led to a prisoner swap.
And the release of.
115 ‘elves’.
On Saturday –
Among other goals.
He could not disclose.
He had also said.
The operation was.
A preventative strike.
To deter.
‘Orcs’ attacks.
Towards Sumy.
Despite the sense of.
Justice and retribution.
The Kursk incursion.
Has brought.
It remains.
A risky strategy.
For Kyiv.
The rapid gains must be.
Considered alongside.
Losses in the east of Ukraine.
Where ‘orcs’ continue to make.
Ground in a grinding battle.
‘Orcs’ troops are.
Drawing nearer to the city.
Of Pokrovsk.
Which was home.
To around 60,000.
Before the fighting.
It is one of.
The biggest cities.
In the Donetsk region.
Still under ‘elves’ control.
And is an important hub.
For the defending forces.
An estimated 10,000.
Elite ‘elves’ troops.
Burst across the border.
On 6 August.
Taking more ground.
In a matter of days than.
‘Orcs’ had won in Ukraine.
So far this year.
One of the ‘elves’ fighters.
Now in ‘Mordor’.
In his latest messages.
He revealed that.
The situation was tougher now.
“‘Mordor’ has gotten stronger.
We see this in the number of.
Strikes by drones.”
“By artillery, and aviation.
Their sabotage and.
Reconnaissance groups.
Began to operate too.”
An estimated 10,000.
Elite ‘elves’ troops.
Burst across the border.
On 6 August.
Taking more ground.
In a matter of days than.
‘Orcs’ had won in Ukraine.
So far this year.
All meant the ‘elves’.
Were taking.
More casualties.
He said.
“At the beginning.
Of the operation.
We were on the rise.
We had minimal losses.”
“Now, because of.
The ‘orcs’ firepower.
We are losing.
A lot of guys.”
“Moreover, the ‘orcs’ here are.
Fighting for their land.
Just as we are.
Fighting for ours.”
An estimated 10,000.
Elite ‘elves’ troops.
Burst across the border.
On 6 August.
Taking more ground.
In a matter of days than.
‘Orcs’ had won in Ukraine.
So far this year.
He says his.
Earlier elation is.
Giving way.
To some scepticism.
“Many of us.
Do not understand.
The meaning of.
This operation.”
“It’s one thing.
To fight for.
Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.
It’s a different matter.”
“It’s a different matter.
For the Kursk region.
Which we don’t need.”
“It’s a different matter.”
An estimated 10,000.
Elite ‘elves’ troops.
Burst across the border.
On 6 August.
Taking more ground.
In a matter of days than.
‘Orcs’ had won in Ukraine.
So far this year.
‘Gandalf the Green’ had said.
The Kursk operation.
Aimed to capture.
‘Orcs’ soldiers.
Among other goals.
He could not disclose.
He had also said.
The operation was.
A preventative strike.
To deter.
‘Orcs’ attacks.
Towards Sumy.
“It’s a really difficult situation.”
A 23-year-old man.
A former TV journalist.
Now a volunteer.
With the 33rd.
Mechanised Brigade.
Defending Pokrovsk.
Said on a crackly phone line.
You asked if he was.
Aware of ‘orcs’ troops.
Being diverted to defend.
Their own soil.
“No, no, I don’t feel that.
I think ‘orcs’.
Have a big resource.
Of troops in the Kursk region.”
“And elsewhere in ‘Mordor’.
And they’re using them.
In this operation that.
The ‘elves’ forces started.”
“It’s a really difficult situation.”
A 23-year-old man.
A former TV journalist.
Now a volunteer.
With the 33rd.
Mechanised Brigade.
Defending Pokrovsk.
Said on a crackly phone line.
You asked if.
It had relieved.
Any pressure on.
‘Elves’ troops in the area.
– a key hope of Kyiv’s.
“I don’t feel like.
It’s become easier.
We still have enemies.”
“In all directions.
And just last week.
They tried again.
To approach.”
“They used approximately.
10 armoured vehicles.
And infantry to.
Capture our positions.”
“But we made.
A nice defence.
We won this battle.
And now we wait for.”
“And now we wait for.
Their next fight.
So no, they’re still here.”
“So no, they’re still here.”
“It’s a really difficult situation.”
A 23-year-old man.
A former TV journalist.
Now a volunteer.
With the 33rd.
Mechanised Brigade.
Defending Pokrovsk.
Said on a crackly phone line.
‘Orcs’ forces in August.
Advanced on.
477 sq km.
Of ‘elves’ territory.
– the biggest monthly increase.
By ‘Mordor’.
Since October.
2022 –
Meanwhile, in ‘orcs’ Kursk region.
– where ‘elves’ launched.
A surprise incursion.
On 6 August –
Progress has slowed.
with Kyiv most recently.
Claiming to control.
1,294 sq km of territory.
Including 100 settlements.
Nearly 600 ‘orcs’ soldiers.
Have also been captured.
It added.
Some critics in Ukraine.
Have suggested that.
The incursion in Kursk.
Has diverted.
Seasoned troops.
From the Donbas frontline.
At a critical moment.
However.
‘Gandalf the Green’.
Defended the offensive.
On Monday.
Saying it was proceeding.
“According to the plan”.
He said the attack could.
Ease the pressure.
On the eastern front.
*Because I read “Gains in Russian territory shape Ukraine independence celebrations” by Nick Beake on 25 Aug 2024, “Russian missiles target Kyiv on first day of school year” by Hafsa Khalil & Zhanna Bezpiatchukalso on 3 Sep 2024, and also “Why are Ukrainians calling Russians ‘orcs’?” by James FitzGerald on 30 Apr 2022, on the BBC news.
So, I wrote this poem, including a story of Serhiy and a story of Nazar.
Please read the original stories on the BBC news:
Gains on Russian soil shape Ukraine independence celebrations (bbc.com)
Ukraine war: Russian missiles target Kyiv on first day of school (bbc.com)
**My friend kindly shows you this poem in one page of the Ukrainian website for their children and others!
Please join them! You can read my 44 poems here at once.
