Deep inside Russia

Supplying Ukraine deep inside Russia is a key challenge - expert

by Emily Atkinson

There are still many unknowns about the Kursk region incursion, including how many troops are involved and how much territory Ukraine has managed to secure.

Shashank Joshi, defence editor of the Economist magazine, says Russia has estimated about 1,000 troops were involved, and on the Ukrainian side, about two to four brigades may be involved - he adds this is unlikely to be thousands of troops.

It's now day four of that incursion, but Joshi tells BBC Radio 4's World at One that Ukraine "could keep this up for weeks".

But one of the challenges is how Ukraine supplies its forces deep inside Russia with the American and European armour its been using.

"Supply is one of the big, big questions right now and on the Russian side it's how many of their reserves they'll move to this area to counteract the assault," he says.

On the idea that Ukraine is trying to draw troops away from other fronts on the battlefield, Joshi says he hasn't seen evidence that forces in Ukraine's eastern Donbas have been sent to Kursk.