Frontline report: Ukrainians open new axes of advance in Russia’s Kursk Oblast

2 September 2024. Today, there are a lot of updates from the Kursk direction.

Here, the Ukrainians gradually slowed down their offensive effort around Sudzha and Korenevo and consolidated their gains to increase offensive efforts to secure the western flank of their advance towards Glushkovo. During their offensive, despite desperate Russian resistance, Ukrainian forces swiftly destroyed Russian pontoon crossings on the Seym River, effectively trapping three thousand Russian soldiers in an operational encirclement.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky recently announced that Ukrainian forces have captured 1,294 square kilometers of the Kursk region, including 100 settlements. In the last four days alone, Ukrainian troops have secured an additional 44 square kilometers and taken 594 Russian soldiers prisoner.

While Ukrainian forces continue their offensive in the area, the Russians are deploying 30,000 reservists to reinforce their defenses in the Kursk region. This force could threaten the Ukrainian gains across Kursk. To counter this, the Ukrainians need to capture the town of Glushkovo and the surrounding area, as it could serve as a staging ground for a Russian counterattack once their reinforcements arrive.

The current length of the frontline in the Kursk region is approximately 120 kilometers for Ukrainian forces. Advancing toward the Seym River in the Glushkovo area would extend the front by an additional 20 kilometers. However, the Seym River would provide a strong defensive advantage for the Ukrainian forces. Securing these positions would allow the Ukrainian command to secure its western flank with fewer troops, as the river simplifies defense. Additionally, capturing the Glushkovo region would expand Ukrainian-controlled territory by over 600 square kilometers.

To pave the way for intensified offensive operations toward Glushkovo, the Ukrainian command ordered strikes on Russian pontoon bridges. As previously reported, the main traffic bridges across the Seym River were severely damaged and rendered unusable by Ukrainian JDAM strikes. This forced the Russians to set up pontoon bridges to maintain logistical support for the 3,000 soldiers in Glushkovo.

However, Ukrainian forces have established total fire control over these bridges using HIMARS and long-range artillery systems, severely hampering Russian efforts.

Ukrainian M142 HIMARS and air strikes on pontoon crossings and permanent bridges over the Seim River in Kursk Oblast

The attacks aim to disrupt Russian logistics in the 15*35 km area between the Seym and Ukrainian border.

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