'It Was All For Nothing': NBC News Laments Russia Retaking Kursk

Kyiv used some of its top marine and air assault forces [to invade Kursk] but the grouping was never large enough to be able to hold on to a larger area.

"From the very beginning, logistics was seriously complicated because as we entered the Kursk region, we ensured sufficient depth but we did not ensure sufficient width," said Serhiy Rakhmanin, a Ukrainian lawmaker on the parliament's committee for security and defence.

From the start, Russia had a manpower advantage along the Kursk frontline.

But the situation became critical late last year. Russia brought in elite units and top drone forces as reinforcements, aided by North Korean forces. They tightened assaults around Ukrainian flanks and advanced to within firing range of a key supply road, according to reports from Ukrainian military bloggers close to the armed forces.

"They not only increased the number of their group opposing our military, but they also improved its quality," Rakhmanin said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has never acknowledged the role of the North Koreans on the battlefield.

'NO LOGIC'

Russia's retaking of the Kursk region removes a potential bargaining chip for Ukraine just as U.S. President Donald Trump undertakes talks to end the war with Russia, which holds around a fifth of Ukraine's national lands.

Ukraine's retreat from the Kursk city of Sudzha, confirmed by Kyiv on March 16, prompted questions and deepened the public divide in Ukraine on the benefits of the incursion.