Ukraine's Defenses Limit Russia's Kursk Counterattack To "Marginal Gains"

Dug in Ukrainian forces, reinforced with additional units and supported by artillery and drones, appear to have limited Russia's highly touted Kursk counterattack. JL

Howard Altman reports in The Drive Warzone:

Russian troops Kursk advance continues at a slow pace as Ukrainian forces have dug in and reinforced their positions. “Russian forces counterattacking in Kursk Oblast made only marginal gains due to continued Ukrainian offensive operations and defensive counterattacks in the area, ”Russia began moving more troops and equipment into the region including the 56th Air Assault Regiment to the west, the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade to the north, the 11th Separate Assault Brigade to the east, and the 488th Motor Rifle Regiment and 155th Separate Brigade of Marines to the southeast.

Ukraine captured about 500 square miles of territory in Kursk oblast. However, Russia began moving more troops and equipment into the region. The units included the 56th Air Assault Regiment to the west, the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade to the north, the 11th Separate Assault Brigade to the east, and the 488th Motor Rifle Regiment and 155th Separate Brigade of Marines to the southeast, according to DeepState. Russia also increased its airstrikes. The fighting grew more fierce and has turned into a full-blown counteroffensive.

Ukraine is not entirely on its heels, according to the Institute for The Study of War (ISW) and at least one of its military units fighting there.

“Russian forces continued counterattacking throughout the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast on September 12 but made only marginal gains, likely due to continued Ukrainian offensive operations and defensive counterattacks in the area,” ISW reported in its latest assessment.

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In addition to mounting local attacks on advancing Russian troops, Ukraine has opened up a new front, pushing across the border into the Russian town of Tetkino, ISW stated. As we noted nearly a month ago, Ukraine wants to move east through Tetkino and thousands of Russian troops are estimated to be stuck south of the Seim River thanks to a campaign of attacks on bridges.

Those strikes continue as Russia attempts to build pontoon bridges across the River.

Russian sources reported that a small unit of Ukrainian troops and armor was also pushing west toward that pocket of troops.

“The operational and combat situation remains difficult,” the Russian Senior Border Guard Telegram channel claimed on Friday. “Yesterday, the enemy managed to consolidate its position in the area of ​​the village of Novy Put. After which the enemy made a dash towards the settlement of Veselove consisting of a tank and two armored fighting vehicles, the first attack was repelled. By evening, the enemy began to dig in near Veseloye, continuing the attacks. The enemy is actively destroying our UAVs, which complicates the reconnaissance and adjustment of our artillery. Border guards, together with units of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, are repelling enemy attacks. Heavy fighting is underway.”

The Ukrainian presence in Veseloe, almost 12 miles west of Ukrainian-held territory in Kursk, was geolocated by an attack on one of its armored vehicles there.

 

 

Ukraine’s Khorne Group military unit said it is on the offensive in Kursk.

“We penetrated into a new place for kilometers into Russia….. a group of Russian conscripts of more than one thousand people under the threat of encirclement,”

 

The War Zone cannot independently verify any of these claims, but it was inevitable that Russia would hit back hard against an invasion of its territory.

The Kursk invasion was launched in large measure to try to draw Russian troops from eastern Ukraine, where they are within a few kilometers of taking several key towns. However, that advance continues, albeit at a much slower pace as Ukrainian forces too have dug in and reinforced their positions