81 years ago, the Kursk region played a decisive role in the war: are there any similarities with today?

The current Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk region inevitably raises parallels to the historic battle there 81 years ago. Ukraine is now trying to regain the strategic initiative over the summer. “As before, they are trying to turn the tide in a situation that is not in their favor. You see clear parallels there,” he added.

However, there are significant differences, says Schrijvers. “The context is different. During World War II, Nazi Germany was the aggressor, while now Russia is the aggressor in Ukraine.” The purpose of the two operations is also different: The Ukrainian military is trying to relieve pressure inside Ukraine by diverting Russian forces towards the Kursk region. However, the Germans had a different goal in 1943: to encircle and destroy Soviet forces, Schrijvers explains.

In addition, the scale is different today. “Only” about 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers are involved in this operation, while millions of soldiers, thousands of tanks and aircraft were involved in the Battle of Kursk.

Schrijvers also points to a crucial difference in preparedness: this time Russia was completely surprised by the Ukrainian attack, unlike in 1943, when the Soviets had been prepared for months. “The Ukrainian troops who entered said they cut through butter like a knife,” Schrijvers concludes. “That’s certainly not what the Germans experienced in the summer of 1943.”