Ukrainian soldiers suspected they would invade Russia when they got new rifles, but still thought it was a joke when the orders came through

Ukrainian's shock offensive on Russia's Kursk region came as a surprise even to Ukraine's soldiers.

"We joked that it wasn't April 1st," a Ukrainian soldier told The Economist.

The country's troops did suspect that an invasion was imminent after they were issued new equipment.

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Ukraine's plans to attack Russia's Kursk region were kept so under wraps that its own soldiers didn't believe it was going to happen.

Ukrainian soldiers started to suspect that an attack was imminent after they were issued new helmets and assault rifles earlier this month, The Economist reported on Sunday, citing soldiers involved in the incursion.

The soldiers told the outlet they went through training exercises on mock-ups. They later realized the mock-ups were simulations of Russian villages.

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