Ukrainian forces continue their offensive in the Russian Oblast of Kurskwhile being forced to retreat in the face of Russian advances near Pokrovskin the Ukrainian region of Donetsk.
The Ukrainian-controlled zone in Kursk has expanded and Ukrainian forces are now fighting along the Seim River, seven kilometers from the town of Snagost and 35 kilometers northwest of Sudzha, the influential analysis platform DeepState reported on Thursday.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Sirskireported that another town had been taken and more prisoners of war had been captured, during a visit by the president, Volodímir Zelenskito the northern region of Sumi.
Ukrainian offensive
“Part of the Russian troops is practically surrounded,” Andriy Kovalenko, head of the government’s Center for Combating Disinformation, wrote today, without specifying the exact area.
Several thousand Russian soldiers could now be in the Glushkovo district, which covers more than 500 square kilometres and is under attack by Ukrainian forces from the west, south and east, and is separated from the rest of the region to the north by the Seim River.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mikola Oleschuk on Wednesday released videos of shelling of civilian buildings in a border town, allegedly carried out by the Russian military.
On Thursday, Oleschuk also showed the destruction of two floating bridges in the region with glider bombs, which occurred sometime in the past three days.
Ukrainian tactical aviation is “successfully negating” Russian logistics, he wrote on his Telegram channel.
According to the American Institute for Study of War (ISW)geolocated videos indicate that Ukrainian forces have advanced to the south of Russian Konopelkaeast of Sudzha.
Russian military bloggers also point out that Russian forces risk being encircled near Martinovka in the north, ISW reports.
However, the Kremlin is trying to downplay the significance of losing control over part of its own territory and is focusing on achieving its goals in Donbas, analysts say.
Ukraine loses ground
Ukraine has continued to lose ground near Pokrovsk, where Russia has made the most progress in recent months, although Ukrainian military analysts say the pace of enemy advance may soon slow.
The intensity of Russian attacks in the area has not decreased since the start of the operation in Kursk, he told EFE on Thursday. Ivan Siékachspokesman for the 110th Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Army.
Three towns, Zavitne, Komishivka and Novozhelanne, have been taken, DeepState reports, as Russia attempts to secure its flanks along the axis of its advance toward Pokrovsk.
However, Moscow’s advances may soon slow down, due to the need to prevent Ukrainian counterattacks on its left flank and due to the higher ground occupied by the Ukrainian positions closest to the threatened city, writes Colonel in reserve and military analyst Kostiantin Mashovets.
In an analysis for ‘Informative Resistance’Mashovets admits that the numerically inferior Ukrainian forces may not be able to stop Russian pressure for long along the most favourable positions between Selidove in the south and Yelisavetivka in the north.
Russian forward units have already penetrated this potential barrier at Krasni Yar and Novogrodivka.
Due to the virtually unrestricted use of aerial bombs, Russia can destroy even the strongest defensive positions and “evaporate” those defending them, Siékach notes.
However, Russian forces will have to regroup and slow down in the face of the threat of a counterattack from Selidove, Mashovets said.
Russian casualties
Although his troops have made limited progress near Chásiv Yar and of Toretskin other places Russian assaults have been consistently repelled.
A column of 13 tanks and armoured vehicles was destroyed near Kurajove on Wednesday.
The use of heavy equipment by Russian forces is becoming less frequent, due to the losses suffered in its offensive in Donetsk.
Although Russian personnel losses inflicted by the 110th Brigade have increased by about a third since October 2023, its material losses have fallen to a quarter of the original value, Siékach said. EFE (I)
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