Ukrainian Troops Are Simultaneously Advancing Near Kursk, Lgov And Rylsk
- 13.08.2024, 7:42
The Ukrainian forces have significantly expanded the control zone in Russia.
Ukrainian forces are advancing further in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, despite recent statements by Russian milbloggers that their troops will “stabilize the new front line.” Officials of the neighboring regions of the Russian Federation give particularly frank and alarming assessments of the Ukrainian offensive, predicting its spread.
This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War(ISW).
Successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
On August 11, the majority of Russian pro-war bloggers claimed that Ukrainian offensive activity had decreased in the Kursk region. However, their Kremlin-linked counterpart refuted these claims the next day, admitting that the Russian army was far from stabilizing the situation, in part because of poor command.
It is reported that the APU began new advances to the western part of the Russian region in the area of Slobodka-Ivanovka, Tetkino, Gordeevka, Uspenka and Viktorovka. Russian sources claim that Ukrainian forces control Slobodka-Ivanovka, Uspenovka and Viktorovka; fighting continues in the area of Snagost and Kremenoye; the APU is advancing north and south of Korenevo, trying to bypass the settlement. It is noted that the Ukrainian forces have recently advanced in Kremenoye and east of Zhuravli: they have advanced in the forest area to the north and east of Semenovka.
Although the ISW analized the geolocation footage and called unclear the exact contours of the advance of the AFU. They added that Ukrainian forces have recently been operating in Sudzha and the northern part of Zaoleshenka. Also, Ukrainian vehicles was noticed in the northern part of Girya, which, according to experts, indicates, at least, their temporary advancement to this village.
In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine recently operated in Daryino and probably conducted cross-border offensives with the support of armored vehicles from the Sumy region north-west of Hraivoron, from the Belgorod region in the area of Kolotilovka and Prelesya, and to the south – near Bezymeno.
Reaction of Russian Governors and milbloggers
The head of the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Gladkov, expressed concern about the "alarming" Ukrainian activity along the border of the region. His Kursk colleague Alexey Smirnov admitted that Ukrainian forces “seized 28 settlements in the Kursk region and advanced about 12 km deep” along the entire 40-kilometer front.
"Ukrainian forces operated in or around 29 settlements in the Kursk region as of August 11, and in 40 as of August 12. Recently, they operated at a distance of up to 24 km from the international border. Therefore, Smirnov's assessment of the width of the front line, apparently, coincides with the area where the main hostilities between Snagost and Plekhovo are taking place," the ISW confirmed.
Z-bloggers admit that the Russians are not yet able to create a solid defence line and have to launch the Iskanders against the attacking enemy.
Yuriy Podolyaka writes that the Ukrainian military, having accumulated forces, on August 12 began assault operations almost on the entire line of combat collision in the Kursk region.
"In the Korenevo area, the enemy tried to bypass the district center from the east. His SRGs even came for the rare of it, trying to cut the route to Rylsk, but were thrown back.
Meanwhile, fierce battles are underway for the settlement of Holgin, the capture of which by the enemy will greatly complicate the Korenevo garrison's further defence of the settlement.
Also, the enemy made a breakthrough with the Northeast column in the general direction to the village of Kauchuk. Was stopped there and forced back. But, unfortunately, not to the original positions. Where in the evening they continued to accumulate their strength, "Podolyaka writes.
According to him, another blow was struck by Ukrainians between the village of Cherkasskoye Porochnoye and the highway to Kursk, as well as to Berdin and Bolshoye Soldatskoe.
“They [the opponents] were stopped at the approaches and are also trying to consolidate their success there. Bloody battles are expected there tomorrow," the military correspondent writes.
Another channel, Rybar, also reports that "mobile groups of the enemy made an attempt to gain a foothold at the Bolshoye Soldatskoye."
It is worth noting that Bolshoye Soldatskoye is the last significant settlement on the road to Kurchatov and the Kursk NPP.
Yuriy Podolyaka also writes that today's battles showed that the Russian defense here is not continuous, but focal.
“The enemy seeps quite easily between our defence nodes, trying to cut them off the main forces. Unfortunately, we can only keep them here by UAV crews, aircraft and... rocketeers so far. Today, when repelling attacks on the enemy, we even use the Iskanders there (for a large number of Ukrainian troops)," the military correspondent writes.
It is noted that the Ukrainians also conducted a reconnaissance in the morning in the area of the Kolotylivka border crossing. In addition, another group of the Ukrainian army from Plekhov reached Giriev, where it was met by the Russian cordon.
Podolyaka claims that the Ukrainians have the strength. “That's why the next at least two days will be very important and difficult,” he adds.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel-General Olrksandr Syrsky, said on August 12 that Ukrainian forces control about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, presumably within the Kursk region. ISW has so far claimed that the Ukrainian forces has travelled approximately 800 square kilometres (as of 12 August), although they does not assess that they control the entire area within the maximum size of the claimed advances.