Battle of Kursk II - 11 August 2024 - Day 6
The terrorist attack on the Kursk direction against the Russian Federation, prepared at the level of NATO chiefs of staff, failed. This was stated by Deputy Chief of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, commander of the Akhmat special forces, Major General Apty Alaudinov. "It turns out that the terrorist act, which was prepared at the level of NATO chiefs of staff, the NATO bloc, and directly under the control of America and England, the so-called blitzkrieg of the expired Zelensky, I can state that it has already failed. Since the forces that have already been stopped are no longer able to move forward in this way. Yes, we will now have to gradually stop them in other areas, destroy them," he said in a video published on his Telegram channel.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is trying to drag NATO into a direct clash with Russia by attacking the Kursk region. This opinion was expressed by opposition-minded Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky. "Apparently, the OP (presidential office - ed) itself does not know what this adventure is for and what it will lead to - that is why they are silent where they usually wave their cowards from the stage," the deputy wrote on his Telegram channel. "I still continue to believe that Zelensky's goal, the goal of his survival, is to turn the war between Russia and Ukraine into a war between Russia and NATO."
The Russian Foreign Ministry has once again called on international organizations to condemn Kiev's terrorist attacks on Russian regions. Earlier, the Russian diplomatic agency had already demanded that the international community resolutely condemn the criminal actions of the Kiev regime at the very beginning of the invasion of the Kursk region. To which the "international community" responded with full approval of the offensive operation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Russian region. It remains unclear how many Ukrainian troops are involved in the drive, with estimates ranging from 1,100 to "several thousand."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged his Western allies to lift restrictions on the use of weapons deep inside of Russia, even as he for the first time indirectly acknowledged his forces' cross-border offensive in Russia’s Kursk region. "The Russians have no geographical restrictions on the use of such weapons -- since the first days of the full-scale war, the entire territory of our state has been under constant threat of attack," Zelenskiy wrote on X on August 11. "Ukrainians are deeply grateful to all our partners who provide us with air defense systems and combat aircraft. However, to truly stop Russian terror, we need…strong decisions from our partners -- decisions that will lift restrictions on our defensive actions." "When Ukraine’s long-range capabilities have no limits, this war will definitely have a limit -- we will truly bring its just end closer," he wrote.
The 22nd Mechanized brigade prepared for the Kursk operation by taking out several Russian communications systems close to the area where Ukraine crossed the border. Russian observation systems were attacked 15 July 2024 with drones by the battalion of unmanned systems of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade of Ukraine at the border crossing Yunakivka. Russian MoD and several Russian telegram channels say that Ukraine has conducted an advance into Kursk oblast today, including with elements from Ukraine's 22nd Mechanized Brigade and possibly Strykers from the 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
JSC Federal Passenger Company ( FPC, a passenger subsidiary of Russian Railways ) has scheduled additional trains between Belgorod and Moscow, the company's Telegram channel reports. As noted, train No. 220 Belgorod - Moscow from August 12 to 16 will depart from Belgorod every day at 01:36 Moscow time and arrive in Moscow at 16:43. In addition, train #742 "Lastochka" Belgorod - Moscow departing on August 11 from Moscow and on August 12 from Belgorod will be a 10-car train (instead of a 5-car train). The train will run daily in this configuration until August 30. "Tickets for additional trains from Belgorod are on sale," FPK reported. "Their prices are fixed."
Military Informant reported "By the end of the current day, there have been no significant changes in the Kursk region again. It should be noted that there has been a noticeable increase in the frequency of enemy tanks appearing as targets (previously, there were mainly only armored cars and armored personnel carriers), as well as the pulling up of an increasing number of artillery pieces.
"The infiltrating runs with light armor have ended, and now, without heavy equipment, the Ukrainian Armed Forces simply cannot count on any success even in holding their existing positions, let alone making a new advance. Nevertheless, there have been no new significant advances. Fights are ongoing, one might say, of "local significance", the parties continue to dig in and accumulate forces. The enemy is rapidly losing the initiative, never having gained full control over the entire Sudzha, from where it would be possible to advance in three directions at once, and also not having begun an invasion in the direction of Rylsk, which could significantly stretch the defense of the Russian Armed Forces and create an additional threat of a breakthrough to Kurchatov.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to compensate for marking time by probing Russian positions in other sections of the state border by sending small groups with equipment there, but no serious breakthroughs have been recorded in these sections. Nevertheless, we will repeat again that in a situation of losing the initiative in the Korenevo-Sudzha direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces may try to repeat their attack in another place or even another region, again catching the unprepared defense by surprise. However, the reaction of the reserves that have already arrived should stop such an attempt much faster than it was now."
OSINTtechnical reported "Russian channels are spreading rumors that Ukrainian SOF units are operating in the Russian rear area, using captured Russian equipment to blend in and conduct attacks". InformNapalm reported "Kadyrov's men, who, like cowardly curs, fled from their positions and abandoned his son and all the conscripts without support. Although the Russian conscripts themselves told us that they were very happy when Kadyrov's men fled from the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region several kilometers from the combat line. Akhmatov's men humiliated Russian conscripts in every possible way, and this had been going on for more than 3 months, as soon as Kadyrov's men were transferred to the Kursk direction in early May. Now the conscripts happily surrender and consider the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberators!"
OSINT Aggregator / @AggregateOsint reported that on day 6, the head of the Belovsky district, Volobuyev, reported that the situation in Belaya remains stable but tense. Later, acting governor Smirnov confirmed that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group had infiltrated the Belovsky district but was successfully repelled. During the night, Ukrainian missiles targeted Kursk.
Ukraine is renewing its attacks on the village in an attempt to cut off Sudzha, with ongoing fighting in the vicinity and in this strategic direction.
Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian drones violated Belarusian airspace, prompting Belarus to move military equipment to the border region. Units have already been transferred, and President Lukashenko has vowed to personally investigate the incident. Belarus has also threatened to expel the Ukrainian ambassador.
Over 76,000 Russian civilians have been evacuated from the region, with many more expected to leave, as this number has been floatig around for a while.
Russia struggled to bring sufficient troops into the region to repel the Ukrainian invasion. The presence of Russian Armed Forces in the settlement of Martynovka has been confirmed. Russians control most if not all of the village. The Russian National Guard joined the battles as a direct combat unit, but the guys who joined Rosgvardia to beat up demonstrators and would now have to fight a modern army. Russia has been relying heavily on aviation and drones to slow the Ukrainian attack in Kursk Oblast. Russian aviation continued to strike Ukrainian positions, serving as the primary force causing Ukrainian casualties. Footage had been released showing a Ukrainian convoy being struck by a Mi-28NM helicopter, though it had been confirmed that three Russian Ka-52 helicopters have been shot down.
Ukraine continued to reinforce its positions. Ukrainian troops were confirmed near the villages of Kremyanoye and Olgovka. Ukraine was moving reserves into the Kursk region to hold territory and construct defensive positions. Ukrainian troops released a video from the village of Guevo, located south of Sudzha, right on the border.
The Ukrainian attack on the settlements of Tolpino, Zhuravli, and Obshchy Kolodez in the Kursk region has been confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. In an official statement, the ministry reported: "An attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to break through to the Belovsky District of the Kursk Region has been successfully thwarted. In the areas around the settlements of Ozerki and Ivanovsky, army aviation destroyed two tanks, an armored combat vehicle, a field artillery gun, and two vehicles carrying ammunition." OSINT Aggregator noted taht this put Ukrainian troops nearly 30km from the border with a high degree of freedom of movement.
Emil Kastehelmi of @Black_BirdGroup continues to follow the situation with multiple daily updates and maps. "The operation has been ongoing for a almost a week. During the last days, Ukraine has not made very significant progress, but they have started solidifying their positions in the newly captured areas. Russians are likely still holding some central and eastern parts of Sudzha, while the Ukrainians are continuing operations in the area. In Martynovka, Russians counterattacked and likely pushed Ukrainians out of the village. Reportedly Ukrainians are trying to get it back. In the direction of Korenevo, Ukrainains have not been able to enter the city, at least not with a large force. There are some uncertainities in the zones of control especially on the western and northern flanks of the area of operations.
"Russia still doesn't have a solid control of the frontline or the state border. For example, yesterday evening, multiple Russian channels reported Ukrainians operating deep in the direction of Belitsa. Sabotage and reconnaissance groups still seem to get through elsewhere too. The general situation of the Kursk offensive doesn't look particularly good. After a week of fighting, neither Korenevo or Sudzha are fully in Ukrainian control, and the Russians have also likely blocked the northern direction. This isn't a very desirable situation. However, for Ukraine, the situation isn’t particularly bad either. They are still holding onto most of the gained ground despite Russian counterattacks. Even with more Russian troops in the general area, Ukraine still holds the initiative.
"After more Russian reinforcements arrive, operational success is increasingly difficult to achieve, and there’s less room for the element of surprise. Committing more troops also increases risks, especially as the situation in eastern Ukraine is still difficult. There have been Russian rumours about Ukraine soon launching an attack either towards Rylsk or Glushkovo. They could achieve some success there, but there would be a limited effect to the general situation. The most valuable places in the Kursk oblast would still be safe....
"It’s possible that the Russians would try to freeze the front and let Ukraine stay in the occupied area, assuming that the issue of a few dozen towns and villages can be solved in future negotiations, as the priority is to achieve the set political goals inside Ukraine. In this situation, some additional Ukrainian forces would be tied to guard and hold an expanded secondary direction, while the fight in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Kharkiv would continue just as intensively.
The Kursk offensive is increasingly beginning to look like a medium risk – medium reward operation. There’s no massive game-changing objectives to be achieved, but there’s also no likely catastrophes on the horizon. The best case scenario for Ukraine would probably be the following: Russia decides it’s not acceptable to leave any areas to Ukrainian hands, and will divert significant resources even from the most critical places and to get every square kilometre back, despite the losses. This would severely attrit the Russians, ease the pressure in other directions, and maybe even make it possible for Ukrainians to improve the tactical situation locally in the east. However, as usual, the reality will most likely set somewhere in between."
ChrisO_wiki reported "Ukraine's HIMARS attack on a Russian convoy in Rylsk, Kursk region, has prompted fury from Russian milbloggers at the military's incompetence. "The Russian land is full of idiots," one concludes; another complains that "this is some kind of sodomy". At least 13 trucks filled with Russian troops were hit by Ukrainian HIMARS missiles on 8 August, killing many soldiers. It's likely to be one of Russia's biggest losses of life in a single incident since the full-scale war began in February 2022.
The Russian military analyst and volunteer Roman Alekhine calls for the negligent commander in charge of the convoy to be executed, or maybe less drastically, to be demoted and sent to join a "meat wave" assault unit. "Who gave the order to move in columns in the drone's observation zone and, consequently, to [be defeated by] HIMARS, is not only an asshole, but must be sentenced according to the laws of wartime, today – he [deserves to be sent to] an assault squad. And I don't care what their rank is - [demote them to] private and [send them to an] assault squad! Those who command the movement in the column themselves, being in the column itself, are no less an asshole! But often you can't send him into a storm [unit], because there is no one to send. Although, assholes often survive! And then they get posts and medals for having survived."
Oleg Tsarov bemoans the lack of learning evident in the decision to send the troops in a tightly clustered convoy: "This is just trash. The third year of war and troops [are still being organised] in columns."
'Older than Edda' recommends punishing the column's commander by "beat[ing] him like a dog" until he is "shitting himself" and suggests a similar punishment to that advocated by Tsarov. He comments on how it feels unpleasantly vulnerable when you pass by a stalled convoy: One of the most unpleasant feelings in war is driving slowly past a military column standing on the side of the road. You're driving, and a bunch of fuckers are standing next to the cars, scratching their balls, talking and smoking. The only desire at that moment is to press the gas pedal all the way down and drive away from the fuckers. For columns, especially those standing on the side of the road in the zone of destruction by enemy missile and artillery weapons, you need to beat them up. Just take the column leader, beat him like a dog, kick him until he starts puking and shitting himself. For dense slow movement in a column, you need to punish him, and punish him very harshly.
"For the order to line up in a column and start moving (we're talking about wartime), you need to demote him to the rank of private and send him to Storm V to atone for his guilt." 'Older than Edda' comments that "this is some kind of sodomy" if the Russian high command has not issued an order for there to be "no more than 3 cars [in line], no stopping on the side of the road to take a shit/pee/smoke and no pressing against the ass of the car in front."
'Revenge of good will' concludes that "The Russian land is full of idiots." "You, yes, yes, you, commanders, senior column/vehicle commanders, drivers, fighters, all of you who like to travel in crowds, columns, call it whatever you want in the combat zone. You are all idiots. Not only the command that gave you the order, but you personally. Do you want to say that you don't dare and don't know how to violate orders? Yeah, no, when you need to, you always know how to give a damn, you'll find a hundred reasons. Well, if you don't give a shit about your lives, then you are idiots!"
'Dead Heads' responds with resignation: "Did you think that after almost three years of full-scale warfare, something would change dramatically? The defeat of a column in the border area of ??the Kursk region, footage of which is already everywhere, says otherwise. In the range of enemy missile weapons, in conditions of complete visibility of the area by reconnaissance drones, this is still possible. Hence the results. We have what we have."
'Thirteenth' compares Russia's general staff unfavourably to monkeys: "In the third year of the war, even a monkey could be taught, but not some Ministry of Defence staff general who gives orders for such murderous marches in the frontline zone. Who will be responsible for the formation of the next columns? What are you doing, brainless creatures?" Rybar agrees that "almost three years of military operations have not taught anyone anything yet" but says that the blame does not lie solely with senior commanders. "It is stupid to blame the General Staff or the multi-starred "red commanders" here: if the column commander does not feel sorry for himself and his personnel, then there is no need to blame the Masons and other-worldly forces for this."
'Military Informant' wonders how the situation was allowed to occur in the first place, pointing out that the convoy appears to have been stationary and the trucks were fully loaded with troops at the time of the strike: "In order to hit a column with a fire weapon aimed at a significant distance and guided by satellite navigation, it was necessary for this very convoy, like a herd of dumb sheep, to stood in the open and not move anywhere until a reconnaissance drone found it, transmitted information and worked on it. Not only that, but they left people sitting in the backs of the trucks, which turned the destruction of the convoy into a real massacre. Passing locals have already filmed everything, as the consequences were left standing until morning.
"All this is a consequence not only of the impenetrable stupidity of a specific person who organised the movement of a column near the border for the third year [of the war], and then its standstill, but also a consequence of the general situation of chaotic concentrating of reserves in the breakthrough area, for which they were not prepared at all. This is another parallel with the autumn of 2022 in the Kharkiv region, where the enemy also used HIMARS to hit the columns with reserves that were going to plug the front."
Servicemen of the Akhmat-Chechnya regiment destroyed a column of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, who were presumably transporting ammunition to consolidate their positions. This was reported on the Telegram channel by the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. "Kursk region. Servicemen of the Akhmat-Chechnya regiment of the Russian Ministry of Defense under the leadership of dear brother Aslambek Saliev, together with the 810th separate guards marine brigade, destroyed a column of Ukronat equipment along with personnel. <…> Apparently, the militants were trying to organize the delivery of ammunition and other weapons in order to finally consolidate their positions," Kadyrov wrote.
"The survivors were blocked not far from the place of combat contact. I think everyone already understands their further fate. The nature of the ammunition and weapons proves that NATO forces have a direct connection to this sabotage plan. They counted on a long stay on the territory of the Russian Federation. As you can see, they miscalculated," the head of the region added.
According to the latest information from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Kyiv has lost up to 1,120 soldiers and 140 armored vehicles, including 22 tanks and 20 armored personnel carriers, since the beginning of military operations in the Kursk direction.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
