ISW Reveals Details Of Ukrainian Offensive In Kursk Region
- 19.08.2024, 9:26
Key takeaways.
The Ukrainian armed forces continued to attack along the entire front in Kursk region on August 18 and slightly advanced in the southeastern direction from Sudzha. This is the subject of a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
ISW experts note - geolocation footage published on August 17 shows the Russian army striking Ukrainian armoured vehicles in the northern part of Martynovka (a settlement northeast of Sudzha), indicating that Ukrainian forces have recently advanced there.
Russian ‘military correspondents’ stated on August 18 that the Ukrainian armed forces had captured Troitskoye (south of the district centre of Korenevo and about two kilometres from the Ukrainian-Russian border) and advanced towards Semenovka (north of Sudzha and about 24 kilometres from the border).
The Russian Defence Ministry and Russian ‘war correspondents’ also claim that Ukrainian forces are attacking on the outskirts of Korenevo, southwest of this settlement near Komarovka; east near Olgovka; northeast near Alekseevskoye, Safonovka, Kromskie Byki, Kauchuk, and Sheptukhovka; north of Sudzha near Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Russkoye Porechnoye; and southeast of Sudzha near Ozerki, Giri, and Borki.
According to ISW, geolocation footage published on August 17 and 18 indicates that the AFU continues to operate throughout the maximum declared limit of the offensive in Kursk Region.
According to Russian ‘war correspondents,’ there are unconfirmed reports that the AFU have entered Otruba (north of Tetkino and on the western bank of the Seim River) and that Ukrainian servicemen are operating near Tetkino directly.
Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, published geolocation footage on August 18 showing Ukrainian troops conducting an airstrike on the bridge over the Seim River in Zvannoye (southeast of Korenevo), resulting in a large crater along the highway.
Russian ‘war correspondents’ and opposition media outlets disagree regarding the consequences of the damage to the Russian army's logistics - some sources claim that the strike only partially damaged the bridge, while others claim that the strike made the bridge impassable and that there is one usable bridge left near Karyzh (west of Zvannoye). However, there are reports that the AFU destroyed the bridge over the Seim River in Glushkovo and struck it on August 16, but did not destroy the bridge in Zvannoye.
ISW Analysts' Main Conclusions:
On August 18, Ukrainian forces continued their offensive across their entire advance in Kursk Region and advanced slightly southeast of Sudzha;
The Ukrainian offensive in Kursk Region continues to force Russia to redeploy forces from other regions of the theatre, and it is likely that subsequent phases of fighting in Russian territory will require additional Russian forces and assets in the area.
On the night of August 17-18, Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil depot in Rostov region, which supplies oil to the Russian military.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, denied the information about Russia's plans to start negotiations with Ukraine and Qatar on a moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure facilities.