Frontline report: Ukrainian forces encircle Russian troops near Kursk’s Korenevo

31 August 2024. Today, there are a lot of updates from the Kursk direction, Russia.

Here, the Ukrainians launched a powerful attack at the northern flank of Korenevo, effectively encircling a large concentration of Russian fighters. Simultaneously they are advancing on the southern flank, setting the stage for an even larger encirclement of Russians in Korenevo.

As previously reported, Ukrainian forces entered Korenevo and consolidated their positions on the eastern outskirts after the Russians redeployed their main force away from the town.

However, Russian troops in the area quickly organized a defense along the Krepna River, which runs through Korenevo. To avoid brutal urban combat, the Ukrainian command shifted its main focus to the northern and southern flanks, assembling powerful assault formations to advance from these directions.

The most significant Ukrainian tactical success occurred on the northern flank of the town. It was initially believed that Russian forces in this area maintained a solid defensive line along the Krepna River, except for the village of Zhuravli.

However, Ukrainian forces launched powerful assaults to bypass this line, aiming to break through the Russian defenses and reach the railway embankment to the north, setting the stage for prolonged clashes.

The Russian forces defending the line at Kremyanoye and Durovka suffered from poor coordination due to ineffective communication and the inability to adapt to Ukrainian advances. With a limited number of troops in the region, the Russian command struggled to deploy and cover all gaps in their defenses against the Ukrainian push. Additionally, the quality of the Russian forces was compromised; while experienced marines were reserved for ambushing Ukrainian raids from the rear, the primary defensive positions were manned by conscripts.

This situation has allowed the Ukrainian offensive groups from the Eighty-Second Air Assault Brigade to effectively use their Stryker mechanized units to breach the scattered Russian defense lines. As a result, the Ukrainian forces have reached the railway embankment northeast of Korenevo, successfully bypassing the Russian defenses.

The Russian command’s failure to deploy sufficient troops along the defensive line allowed Ukrainian forces to exploit these gaps and launch attacks from behind. This situation left the Russian forces with all escape routes under the control of Ukrainian assault groups. An updated map provided by Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Syrsky, indicated that the Russians still control the towns of Kremyanoye and Durovka. This means that Ukrainian forces now hold positions all around them, effectively placing the Russian troops in a state of complete encirclement.

To leverage their newly gained territories for further assaults north of the town, Ukrainian forces will focus on eliminating the pocket of encircled Russian troops.

While the encirclement almost guarantees the elimination of these forces, it will extend the clashes, as the Russians have no option for withdrawal. Consequently, the encircled Russian troops are likely to surrender once they exhaust their ammunition and are no longer able to continue the fight.

The fall of the Durovka-Kremyanoye pocket would allow Ukrainian forces to advance on the northern part of Korenevo. Capturing this northern section would sever the Korenevo-Rylsk highway, completing the encirclement of the Russian garrison in the town and paving the way for its eventual takeover.

Simultaneously, Ukrainian forces have continued their advance south of Korenevo.

Elements of the Ukrainian Thirty-Sixth Marine Brigade are working to expand the southern flank to secure it for a main assault on Korenevo from the south. During these operations, the Ukrainian marines have established control over the village of Vishnevka and captured half of Komarovka.

The goal of the Ukrainian command in this area is to advance and secure positions along the Snagost River to simplify flank defenses. By achieving this, they would reduce the number of troops needed to guard the flanks, allowing a greater concentration of forces to intensify attacks south of Korenevo and bolster the main offensive.

The main factor contributing to the success of the Ukrainian marines in the area is their opposition to the Russian One-Hundred Fifty-Fifth Marine Brigade. This unit is notorious for one of the largest Russian failures during the Battle of Vuhledar, suffering such severe losses that it now primarily consists of newly mobilized personnel.

Although equipped with modern Russian equipment, such as T-90M tanks and BMP-3 armored vehicles, the brigade lacks the training and expertise to effectively counter the experienced Ukrainian Marines. As a result of the engagements between Russian and Ukrainian Marines, Ukrainian forces succeeded in capturing a state-of-the-art T-90M tank.

This model is rare within the Russian army, making its capture particularly significant. The original uncensored combat footage of all operations can be found on Reporting From Ukraine’s Telegram channel.

Overall, the Ukrainians managed to compromise the flanks of Korenevo and encircle the main Russian forces at the northern flank of the town while also pushing the Russians to the south. The ongoing operations on the flanks will allow Ukrainian forces to capture a significant number of encircled Russian troops while continuing efforts to encircle the main force within the town itself.

The fall of Korenevo will pave the way for the next phase of the broader Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region by opening up critical operational space.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.