Fresh Meat: Ukraine Slaughters More Failed Russian Attacks In Kursk

For the next few months, until a ceasefire is imposed, deployment to Kursk is a death sentence for Russian soldiers. JL

David Axe reports in Forbes:

Taking advantage of the post-election tumult in the US, and anticipating changes in the U.S. relationship with Ukraine, Russia is going for broke in Kursk, reinforcing its 51st Airborne Regiment and 810th Marine Brigade with thousands of North Korean troops and hurling the units at Ukrainian positions. The Ukrainians fought back with mines, drones and Stugna-P anti-tank missiles, destroying one third of the Russian vehicles. The survivors scattered—and blundered into sectors held by other Ukrainian units, suffering record casualties—including nearly 2,000 troops killed and wounded on Tuesday

Just a week ago, elements of the Ukrainian army’s 47th Mechanized Brigade were fighting bizarre—and seemingly pointless—skirmishes around the border town of Novyi Put, in western Russia 25 miles west of the 250-square-mile salient that Ukrainian forces carved out of Russia’s Kursk Oblast back in August.

 

Today, the 47th Mechanized Brigade’s battalions—operating American-made M-2 Bradley fighting vehicles and M-1 Abrams tanks—no longer have the luxury of mucking around in Novyi Put. They’re in the fight of their lives on the left flank of the Kursk salient, trying to hold back a powerful Russian counteroffensive that kicked off on Nov. 7.

Taking advantage of the post-election tumult in the United States, and seemingly anticipating major changes in the U.S. relationship with Ukraine, Russia is going for broke in Kursk. The Kremlin reinforced its 51st Airborne Regiment and 810th Marine Brigade—the latter with thousands of North Korean troops—and then hurled the units at Ukrainian positions.

The reconsolidated 47th Mechanized Brigade, its people and vehicles no longer scattered across a wide front in western Russia, is directly in the Russians’ crosshairs in Kursk. On Tuesday, 30 Russian vehicles barreled toward the 47th Mechanized Brigade in five waves.

The Ukrainians fought back with mines, drones and Stugna-P anti-tank missiles, destroying 10 of the Russian vehicles. The survivors scattered—and blundered into sectors held by other Ukrainian units, potentially including the recently reorganized 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade. The adjacent brigades “worked on” the 20 survivors, the 47th Mechanized Brigade reported.

Despite suffering record casualties—including nearly 2,000 troops killed and wounded on Tuesday—the Russians show no signs of stopping. Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin had given his forces until Oct. 1 to retake Kursk—a deadline they obviously missed. The new deadline, it seems, is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s January inauguration.

 

Trump had pledged to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of his election. He didn’t. It’s unclear what he might do in regard to Ukraine once he’s formally in control of America’s foreign policy two months from now. In a post-election phone call with Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump reportedly proposed an armistice that would freeze the front line.

That proposal, which lacks any enforcement mechanism, would hand Russia 25,000 square miles of Ukrainian soil. In exchange, Ukraine would control 250 square miles of Kursk—but only if Ukrainian troops can hold onto that patch of Russian territory until the potential armistice is in effect. Putin is willing to trade potentially thousands of Russian lives to ensure they don’t hold on.

The 47th Mechanized Brigade’s commanders clearly appreciate that this is no time for border raids and other distractions. The Russians were fully committed in Kursk a week ago. Now the Ukrainians are fully committed, too.