Ukrainian Forces In Kursk Continue Push West In Russia Towards Glushkovo

The Ukrainians are not showing any signs of abandoning their advance generally, though they are digging defenses in parts of Kursk oblast they have occupied. JL

Howard Altman reports in The Drive Warzone:

Ukrainian forces are less than seven miles from Glushkovo, the last main bastion of defense for an estimated 3,000 troops trapped south of the Seim River, which runs through Glushkovo. Though the rapid momentum of the early days of its Kursk invasion has slowed after 25 days, Ukraine is still on the offensive.  “Ukrainian formations continue to strike at the defensive lines and supply routes of the Russian Armed Forces, and are also preparing for an offensive in the area.”

Though the rapid momentum of the early days of its Kursk invasion has slowed considerably after 25 days, Ukraine is still on the offensive in several areas there. One of the big efforts is a push toward the city of Glushkovo.

 

Ukrainian forces are less than seven miles from that city, according to the latest map from DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source intelligence organization that has proven reliable in the past. Glushkovo is the last main bastion of defense for an estimated 3,000 troops trapped south of the Seim River, which runs through Glushkovo.

“The situation in the Glushkovo district remains difficult,” the Kremlin-connected Rybar Telegram channel stated Saturday. “Ukrainian formations continue to strike at the defensive lines and supply routes of the Russian Armed Forces, and are also preparing for a possible offensive in the area.”

Ukraine can either attack the city directly or try to cut it off and bypass it from the south.

As part of that effort, Ukraine has continued its whack-a-mole approach toward the pontoon bridges Russia is building to temporarily replace the spans destroyed by Ukraine. The video below shows a strike by an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS on one such ad hoc crossing.

https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1829557727430922409

Bridging equipment has also been a big target for Ukraine, as you can see in the column of destroyed support vehicles in the video below. It ends with a view of another destroyed pontoon bridge.

https://twitter.com/jayinkyiv/status/1829766182708129981?s=12

The Ukrainian Air Force released a video showing crews loading Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range precision-guided bombs, or JDAM-ERs onto a MiG-29 Fulcrum. The video ends with scenes of the munitions flowing up portions of bridges over the Seim River. JDAM-ER and French HAMMER guided bombs, both with a range of dozens of miles, have been key to severing Russia’s established river crossings

 

Ukraine is trying to push elsewhere in Kursk as well, attacking near the city of Korenevo, which is on the northern edge of territory controlled by Ukraine, according to DeepState.

In the southernmost area of the salient, Ukrainian forces are pushing east of Borki, the DeepState map shows. There is also a five-mile deep “grey zone” over much of the northwestern and western parts of the salient, where fighting continues and no one has gained control.

Ukraine continues to push in several directions in Kursk. Its area of control is in blue while disputed territory is in gray. (DeepState)

Russian troops are “wiping” the Ukrainian-captured town of Sudzha “off the face of the earth,” Oleksandr Pavliuk, commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces, said on Aug. 31, according to the Kyiv Independent.

Russia is regularly shelling Sudzha and attacking it with guided aerial bombs and kamikaze drones according to Pavliuk.

For the 25th day in a row, the Russian Defense Ministry (MoD) said it is repelling the invasion.

“The units of the Sever Group of Forces supported by Army Aviation and artillery have repelled six attacks launched by enemy assault detachments in the direction of Borki, Bakhtinka, Komarovka, Malaya Loknya, and Matveyevka,” the MoD claimed on Telegram. “In addition, attempts by the Armed Forces of Ukraine to launch attacks in the direction of Korenevo and Malaya Loknya have been foiled.”

Ukrainian officials offered no specifics about the situation in Kursk today. In his evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces “continue to replenish the exchange fund for Ukraine and push the war into Russian territory. The resilience of each of our units, the precision of our warriors and the strong decisions of our partners are equally crucial. I thank all our combat brigades!”

On Friday, Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said his troops have advanced more than another square mile and have established control of an additional three square miles of territory.

https://twitter.com/Liveuamap/status/1829494616103834099

The 80th Separate Mechanized Brigade said it captured seven Russian tanks in Kursk. That includes one T-90M, four T-80 BVMs, and two T-72s. Some of these tanks are nearly new, having just come off the assembly line, while others require repairs.

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1829797244444315652

In his first reaction to Ukraine’s invasion of Russia, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told German weekly Welt am Sonntag that it is legitimate and covered by Kyiv’s right to self-defense. 

“Ukraine has a right to defend itself. And according to international law, this right does not stop at the border,” Stoltenberg told the paper, adding that NATO had not been informed about Ukraine’s plans beforehand and did not play a role in them.

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1829703186577342869

Whether Ukraine can continue its push toward Glushkovo amid the many other challenges it faces, including the looming Russian capture of the key Donetsk Oblast city of Pokrovsk, remains to be seen. They’ve gained very little ground in that direction over the past several days. However, there appears to be no immediate end in sight for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s Kursk operation.