Ukraine considers expanding Kursk invasion despite Russian reinforcements

Despite reinforcements sent by Russia to counter the now eight-day invasion of Kursk, Ukraine continues to try to expand its presence there, advancing north and west.

Ukrainian forces have “opened new fronts in the western part of Kursk Oblast, near Slobodka-Ivanovka, Tetkino, Gordeevka, Uspenka and Viktorovka, taking control of Slobodka-Ivanovka, Uspenovka, Viktorovka and Spalnoe,” the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies think tank said on Tuesday.

In anticipation of this effort, however, Ukraine attempted to blow up a bridge over the Seim River to stop Russian logistics to that area, the Russian Two Majors Telegram Channel.

Although these claims have not been confirmed, Russian mibloggers agree that Ukrainian troops are still advancing towards those areas.

“In the border area of ​​Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian forces are continuing their attempts to advance north towards Kurchatov,” the Kremlin-affiliated The Rybar Telegram channel stated.

It was also suggested that Ukraine is considering expanding its activities to the west.

“In the afternoon, information appeared about a massive shelling of Tetkino by artillery,” Rybar stated in an earlier message. “Given the pattern of enemy actions, the probability of opening another part of the front is still not zero.”

The Institute for the Study of War suggests that the invasion is going faster and further than many Russian milbloggers claim.

There is visual evidence that Ukraine is flying around the Sumy-Kursk border and has carried out airstrikes in Kursk. This is a sign that the Ukrainian air force is confident that Russian air defenses in the area are well under control.

“Ukrainian formations use aircraft to attack the border area,” Rybar saidclaiming that “the use of JDAM-ER guided bombs There has been a report of an attack on a local grain warehouse in Tetkino.” The war zone cannot independently verify this claim.

In addition to Ukraine’s airstrike capabilities, it appears that the UK has not allowed Kiev to use donated Storm Shadow cruise missiles in the invasion of Kursk. The weapons, which can reach hundreds of kilometers, would greatly increase Ukraine’s ability to invade deeper into Kursk from a standoff distance. You can read more about the Storm Shadow in our deep dive here.

Meanwhile, a day after Ukraine finally turned on the information tap by declaring that its forces had captured nearly 400 square miles of Russian territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted another conversation about the situation with his top commander, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“Despite the difficult and intense fighting, our forces continue to advance in the Kursk region, and our state’s ‘exchange fund’ is growing,” he said, referring to the increasing flow of Russian prisoners of war who can be exchanged for Ukrainian ones. So far, “74 communities are under Ukrainian control, where inspections and stabilization measures are being carried out. The development of humanitarian solutions for these areas continues.”

As every day since the invasion began on August 6, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims it has the situation under control.

“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue to repel the attempt by the (Armed Forces of Ukraine) AFU to invade the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Telegram.

“Over the past 24 hours, active actions of the Sever Group of Forces and arrived reserves, army aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery fire prevented enemy mobile armored groups from penetrating deep into Russian territory, close to Obshchiy Kolodez, Snagost, Kauchuk and Alekseyevsky,” the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.

“An attack by the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of Martynovka was repelled. Up to 15 AFU personnel, two armored vehicles and two motor vehicles were neutralized,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. In addition, “air and artillery strikes hit personnel and equipment of the 22nd, 61st, 115th Mechanized Brigades and the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade near Mikhailovka, Korenevo, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Oleshni, Sudzha and Nikolayevka.”

Despite these rosy prospects, authorities have evacuated more than 100,000 residents of Kursk.

Russia failed to stop the Ukrainian invasion despite being warned months in advance that it was likely, a former commander of a Russian reconnaissance group claimed in a recent interview with the russian Interesting stories publication.

After months of small scale raids Through groups such as the Legion of Freedom of Russia, which was primarily focused on gathering intelligence on Russian defenses, Ukraine launched a major invasion of a vulnerable location, striking as quickly and deeply as possible, the group commander said.

The situation in Kursk forced Russia to make a major change in the leadership of the region’s defense. Former Putin bodyguard and current Colonel-General Alexei Dyumin was appointed as the new chief of operations there.

The appointment was warmly welcomed by leading Russian milbloggers, who claimed that it was a sign that Putin had finally realized how disastrous Kusk had become.

“The fact that Alexei Dyumin is a senior official with a full range of powers to resolve the operational crisis in the Kursk region is a sign that the security forces have failed to resolve coordination problems on their own and without Moscow’s intervention,” the Two major Telegram channels stated on Tuesday“Dyumin’s appointment is a sign that Putin’s team is taking full control of the situation to prevent a sham and to solve the problem, rather than trying to freeze it.”

Alexander Sladkov, military correspondent for the official Russian news outlet Izvestia, also praised the choice.

“This is awesome,” he exclaimed on Telegram“And I absolutely support this.”

“Dyumin is a military man, respected in the army and in the special services. He will quickly delve into the subject and make important decisions,” Gladkov said.

He “is Putin’s man, he will not allow the president to be misled in reports to himself or others,” Gladkov added. “Dyumin was a brilliant governor recently, he will take into account the needs of not only the military, but also the citizens of the Kursk region in his actions.”

Dyumin “will definitely arrive in Kursk with extraordinary powers,” Gladkov said. “And this is excellent, the situation is extraordinary.”

In an effort to prevent Ukrainian jamming, Russia began using fiber optic cables to control its first-person view (FPV) drones in the Kursk region. Footage of downed Russian kamikaze drones using those cables began to surface in March. You can read much more about this technology in our deep dive here.

While Russia continues to face problems in Kursk and Belgorod, residents of the neighboring Ukrainian region of Sumy are increasingly feeling the effects of the measures.

Sumy, which was a base for the invasion, is facing increasing attacks from Russia. As a result, there have been evacuations and the Ukrainian authorities have declared a state of siege for the oblast.

“Due to the increase in the intensity of fighting, the activation of diversionary intelligence groups, the enemy’s special operations forces and with the aim of saving the lives of the civilian population and military personnel, the military command has introduced restrictions on the movement of all categories of citizens in the 20-kilometer border area of ​​the Sumy region,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. announced on Facebook on Tuesday.

Every day that Ukraine stays in Russia, Putin is pressuring him to take more drastic measures. He has already had his government declare martial law in Kursk, and in the neighboring Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts. Yesterday, he promised that Ukraine “will receive a worthy response, all the goals that Russia stands for will be achieved.”

Whatever that is, and whether it will even become reality, only time will tell.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com