President Vladimir Putin’s forces are stepping up a counteroffensive against Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region that have advanced into the Kiev salient, according to a map showing the latest developments in the region.
Since carrying out a bold invasion in August, Kiev has said it has captured at least 500 square miles of territory in the Kursk Oblast, just over its thinly defended border, with Ukrainian forces in particular The military acquisitions raised concerns about overstretching of the Ukrainian military. Donetsk Oblast.
On Friday, Russian forces entered a major Ukrainian salient and appear to have “almost completely” eliminated a small Ukrainian salient in the Grushkovsky district, the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest update.
This map by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on October 11, 2024 shows the situation of the match in the Kursk region of Russia. This map by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on October 11, 2024 shows the situation of the match in the Kursk region of Russia. War Research Institute
Russian military bloggers said that Morsow’s forces had surrounded Ukrainian forces in the villages of Lyubimovka and Tolsti Lug, but a Washington, D.C., think tank denied that these claims were due to Russian battalion-sized mechanized attacks or recaptures in the area. He also said that he could not confirm the report. of every village.
Meanwhile, Andriy Kovalenko of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said that “Russian plans in Kursk Oblast have so far been thwarted" as Russian forces “suffered significant losses in equipment.” He denied Russia’s claims of interests.
Meanwhile, the latest ISW maps for the region show Russian advances south and west of the town of Veseloye and north of Lyubimovka on Thursday and Friday.
Ukraine’s open source intelligence agency Deep State UA said on Friday that the situation in the Kursk region “remains difficult but under control” and that Kiev’s military is carrying out “stabilization” efforts but is unable to regain control of the entire situation. said it is still not possible. I lost it.
“The enemy suffered significant losses during the attack, so it will be difficult to gain a foothold,” the post said, according to a translation. “The worst is probably now in Lyubimovka, but we have to wait for the end of the new maneuver.”
Newsweek has contacted the defense ministries of Russia and Ukraine for comment.
This illustrated image taken on August 23, 2023 in southern England shows Ukrainian soldiers in training. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) announced on October 11, 2024 that Russian forces are fighting back against Ukrainian forces…This illustrated image, taken in southern England on August 23, 2023, shows that the training It shows Ukrainian soldiers inside. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) announced on October 11, 2024 that Russian forces are counterattacking Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. More Justin Tallis/Getty Images
ISW said Russia was likely trying to force the Ukrainian army out of Kursk while the terrain was dry ahead of the autumn and winter rainy weather, which would make any maneuver difficult and the Ukrainian army He said it would encourage the construction of trenches.
Earlier, Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Shirskyi said in a documentary aired by Ukrainian broadcaster Sashpirne that Russia had deployed 50,000 soldiers to Kursk, transferred from other fronts.
But he said the move weakens Russia’s position in other areas of Ukraine’s battlefields, particularly the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Kramatorsk fronts.
