In 6 Days of Kursk Counterattack, Ukraine Destroyed 3 Russian Battalions

The vaunted Russian Kursk counteroffensive is going about as expected: badly for the Russians. 

Their losses of men and equipment are setting new records daily for minimal to no gains. Putin is determined to try to grab as much land as he can before he is forced to negotiate to end sanctions - and before he runs out of troops and armor. JL

David Axe reports in Forbes:

The Russian counteroffensive in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast is off to a bloody and chaotic start. After six days, sources identified 77 destroyed Russian armored vehicles, enough for three battalions - and that's only what's "visible and confirmed." On Tuesday, the Ukrainian general staff reported record single-day Russian losses of 1,950 troops. The Russians are pushing to capture as much as possible because, "they are running out of resources to fight the war; second, their economy is shit; third, they view Ukraine as vulnerable; fourth, they see the US as utterly impotent.”

The Russian counteroffensive in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast is off to a bloody and chaotic start. After six days, Ukrainian drone operator Kriegsforscher has identified 77 destroyed Russian armored vehicles along the northwestern edge of the 250-square-mile salient Ukrainian troops occupy in Kursk.

 

That’s enough equipment for three Russian battalions. And it’s only what’s “visible and confirmed with video,” according to Kriegsforscher. Actual Russian losses could be much higher.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian general staff reported record single-day Russian losses of 1,950 troops killed and wounded as well as 104 destroyed armored vehicles all along the 800-mile front line of Russia’s wider war on Ukraine.

The ongoing battle in Kursk accounts for a disproportionate share of these losses, as the fighting there is at least twice as intense as the fighting in other sectors, according to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies. “Russian forces maintain a high attack frequency in Kursk Oblast, launching assaults at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes,” CDS noted.

The Kremlin rebuilt several regiments and brigades with fresh vehicles and North Korean reinforcements, including the 51st Airborne Regiment and the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, and then hurled them at the Kursk salient on Thursday.

“Generally speaking, they are pushing to capture as much as possible, for many reasons,” analyst Andrew Perpetua wrote about the Russians. “First, they are running out of resources to fight the war; second, their economy is shit; third, they view Ukraine as vulnerable; fourth, they see the United States as utterly impotent.”

Nearly a week later, the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade has consolidated its positions around the village of Pogrebki, on the edge of the salient. But it’s done so at the cost of potentially dozens of vehicles—including factory-fresh BTR-82s—and hundreds of people.

A trio of powerful Ukrainian brigades, including the newly reorganized 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade, is punishing the Russian marines and paratroopers for every yard they advance. Incredibly, local Ukrainian forces have even managed to counterattack in a few places along the front line in Kursk, ultimately advancing “slightly” near Novoivanovka, according to CDS.

The fighting shows no sign of letting up. Amid the uncertainty of extreme and unsustainable losses and global political change, the Russians are going for broke in Kursk.