ISW: Ukrainian forces make fresh breakthrough on Russian border in Kursk Oblast

Earlier this week, Russian forces launched a counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian troops have controlled about 1,000 square kilometers since their early August incursion.

Sep 14, 2024 - 14:00

Ukrainian forces have breached the Russian border in a new section of the Kursk region, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW). However, the scale of the operation remains limited for now.

“Geolocated footage published on September 13 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced south of Veseloye (southwest of Gluskhovo and three kilometers from the international border),” analysts note.

Russian sources claim Ukrainian attacks near the villages of Novyy Put and Medvezhye, east of Veseloye, but assert that Ukrainian troops were unable to enter Veseloye itself.

Earlier this week, Russian forces launched a counteroffensive in Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces have held control of roughly 1,000 square kilometers since their incursion in early August. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Russian troops had reclaimed 10 settlements over two days.

President Zelenskyy acknowledged the Russian counteroffensive but noted that Ukraine has yet to see “significant success.”

ISW points out that Russia is not yet conducting a large-scale operation to fully expel Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast, an effort that would likely require far more resources than those currently committed.

Many Russian units deployed in Kursk lack combat experience, and ISW suggests that reinforcements from other parts of Ukraine may be necessary to bolster the Russian position. So far, the counteroffensive has primarily relied on airborne (VDV) units recently redeployed from the Ukrainian front lines.

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