The tone is dark.
Even angry.
“The situation is getting.
Worse every day.”
“We don’t see the goal.
Our land is not here.”
The tone is dark.
Even angry.
Almost four months.
After ‘elves’ troops launched.
A lightning offensive into.
The ‘Mordor’’s region of Kursk.
Text messages.
From soldiers fighting there.
Paint a dismal picture.
Of a battle.
They don’t properly.
Understand and.
Fear they might.
Be losing.
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
They speak of.
Dire weather conditions.
And a chronic lack of.
Sleep caused by.
‘Orcs’ constant bombardment.
Which includes the use.
Of terrifying.
3,000kg glide bombs.
They’re also.
In retreat with.
‘Orcs’ forces gradually.
Retaking territory.
“This trend will continue.”
He wrote on 26 November.
“It’s only a matter.
Of time.”
He spoke of immense fatigue.
The lack of rotation.
And the arrival of units.
Made up largely of.
Middle-aged men brought.
Directly from other fronts.
With little or no time.
To rest in between.
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
To hear soldiers complain.
– about their commanding officers.
Orders and lack of equipment –
Is hardly unusual.
It’s what soldiers.
Often do.
In difficult circumstances.
Under immense pressure.
From the enemy and.
With winter setting in.
It would be surprising.
To hear much optimism.
But the messages you’ve received.
Are almost uniformly bleak.
Suggesting that motivation.
Is a problem.
Some questioned whether.
One of the operation’s.
Initial goals.
Had worked.
– to divert ‘orcs’ soldiers.
From ‘elves’ eastern front –
– to divert ‘orcs’ soldiers.
From ‘elves’ eastern front –
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
The orders now.
They said, were to hang.
Onto this small sliver.
Of ‘orcs’ territory.
Until a new US president.
With new policies.
Arrives in the White House.
At the end of January.
“The main task facing us.
Is to hold the maximum territory.
Until the new US president’s.
Inauguration and.”
“The start of negotiations.
In order to exchange.
It for something later.
No-one knows what.”
Towards the end.
Of November.
‘Gandalf the Green’.
Indicated that.
Both sides had.
The change of.
US administration.
In mind.
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
“I am sure that.
‘The One’ wants to.
Push us out by.
20 January.”
“It is very important.
For him to demonstrate.
That he controls.
The situation.”
“But he does not.
Control the situation.”
In an effort to help Ukraine.
Thwart ‘orcs’ counterattacks in Kursk.
The US, UK and France.
Have all permitted Kyiv.
To use long-range weapons.
On targets inside ‘Mordor’.
It doesn’t seem.
To have done.
Much to lift spirits.
“No-one sits.”
“No-one sits.
In a cold trench.
And prays.
For missiles.”
“We live and fight.
Here and now.
And missiles fly.
Somewhere else.”
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
Atacms and.
Storm Shadow missiles.
May have been.
Used to powerful.
Even devastating effect.
On distant command posts.
And ammunition dumps.
But such successes.
Seem remote to soldiers.
On the front lines.
“We don’t talk.
About missiles.”
The next one said.
“In the bunkers we talk.
About family and rotation.
About simple things.”
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
For Ukraine, ‘orcs’ slow.
Grinding advance in eastern Ukraine.
Underlines the necessity.
Of clinging on in Kursk.
In October alone.
‘Mordor’ was able to occupy.
An estimated 500 sq km.
Of ‘elves’ territory.
The most it’s taken.
Since the early days of.
The full-scale invasion.
In 2022.
By contrast.
Ukraine has already.
Lost around 40%.
Of the territory.
It seized in Kursk.
In August.
“The key is not to capture.
But to hold.”
“But to hold.”
The third one said.
“And we’re struggling.
A bit with that.”
Despite the losses.
He thinks.
The Kursk campaign.
Is still vital.
“It did manage to.
Divert some ‘orcs’ forces.
From the Zaporizhzhia.
And Kharkiv regions.”
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
But some of the soldiers.
You spoke to said.
They felt they were.
In the wrong place.
That it was more important.
To be on ‘elves’ eastern front.
Rather than occupying.
Part of ‘Mordor’.
“Our place should.
Have been there.
in eastern Ukraine.
Not here in someone else’s land.”
The first one said.
“We don’t need.
These Kursk forests.
In which we left.”
“We don’t need.
These Kursk forests.
In which we left.
So many comrades.”
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
And despite weeks of.
Reports suggesting that.
As many as 10,000.
North Korean troops.
Have been sent.
To Kursk to join.
To Kursk to join.
The ‘orcs’ counter-offensive.
The soldiers you’ve been.
In contact.
Have yet to.
Encounter them.
“I haven’t seen or.
Heard anything about Koreans.
Alive or dead.”
The third one responded.
When you asked.
About the reports.
The ‘elves’ military.
Has released.
Recordings which.
It says are intercepts.
Of North Korean.
Radio communications.
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
Soldiers said they had been.
Told to capture at least.
One North Korean prisoner.
Preferably with documents.
They spoke of rewards.
– drones or extra leave –
Being offered to anyone.
Who successfully captures.
They spoke of rewards.
Being offered to anyone.
Who successfully captures.
A North Korean soldier.
“It’s very difficult.
To find a Korean.
In the dark.
Kursk forest.”
The first one noted.
Sarcastically.
“Especially if.
He’s not here.”
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
Veterans of previous.
Doomed operations.
See parallels in what’s.
Happening in Kursk.
From October 2023.
Until July this year.
‘Elves’ forces attempted to.
Hold onto a tiny bridgehead.
At Krynky on the left bank.
Of the Dnipro River.
Some 40km upstream from.
The liberated city of Kherson.
The bridgehead.
Initially intended.
As a possible springboard.
For advances.
Further into.
‘Orcs’-held territory.
In southern Ukraine.
Was eventually lost.
The operation was.
Hugely costly.
The operation was.
Hugely costly.
As many as 1,000.
‘Elves’ soldiers are thought.
To have been killed.
Or gone missing.
Some came to see it as.
A stunt, designed to distract.
Attention from the lack.
Of progress elsewhere.
They fear something.
Similar might.
Be happening.
In Kursk.
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
“Good idea but.
Bad implementation.”
Says the second one.
A marine officer.
Who served in Krynky.
And is now in Kursk.
“Media effect.
But no military result.”
Military analysts insist.
That for all the hardship.
The Kursk campaign continues.
To play an important role.
“It’s the only area.
Where we maintain.
The initiative.”
Was said.
The speaker acknowledged.
That ‘elves’ forces were.
Experiencing “incredibly.
Difficult conditions” in Kursk.
But said ‘Mordor’ was.
Devoting vast resources.
To ejecting them.
– resources which it would.
Prefer to be.
Using elsewhere.
“The longer we can hold.
This Kursk front.”
“The longer we can hold.
This Kursk front.
– with adequate equipment.
Artillery, Himars and.”
“Of course long-range weapons.
To strike their rear.
– the better,” he said.
– the better,” he said.
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
In Kyiv.
The senior commanders.
Stand by the Kursk operation.
Arguing that it’s still.
Reaping military.
And political rewards.
“This situation.
Annoys ‘the One.”
One said recently.
On condition of anonymity.
“He is suffering.
Heavy losses there.”
As for how long.
‘Elves’ troops would.
Be able to hold out.
In Kursk.
The answer was straightforward.
“As long as it is.
Feasible from.
The military point of view.”
They are under.
Immense pressure.
In Kursk, under.
Constant ‘orcs’ bombardment.
The tone is dark.
Even angry.
“The situation is getting.
Worse every day.”
“We don’t see the goal.
Our land is not here.”
The tone is dark.
Even angry.
Almost four months.
After ‘elves’ troops launched.
A lightning offensive into.
The ‘Mordor’’s region of Kursk.
Text messages.
From soldiers fighting there.
Paint a dismal picture.
Of a battle.
They don’t properly.
Understand and.
Fear they might.
Be losing.
*Because I read “Ukraine’s exhausted troops in Russia told to cling on and wait for Trump” by Paul Adams on 3 Dec 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 Pavlo, a story of Myroslav, a story of Vadym, and a story of Serhiy Kuzan.
Please read the original story on the BBC news:
Ukraine’s exhausted troops in Russia told to cling on and wait for Trump
