The battle in the salient is just beginning.
Nov 12, 2024
Ukrainian defense ministry capture
The Russian counteroffensive in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast is off to a bloody and chaotic start. After six days, Ukrainian drone operator Kriegsforscher has identified 77 destroyed Russian armored vehicles along the northwestern edge of the 250-square-mile salient Ukrainian troops occupy in Kursk.
That’s enough equipment for three Russian battalions. And it’s only what’s “visible and confirmed with video,” according to Kriegsforscher. Actual Russian losses could be much higher.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian general staff reported record single-day Russian losses of 1,950 troops killed and wounded as well as 104 destroyed armored vehicles all along the 800-mile front line of Russia’s wider war on Ukraine.
The ongoing battle in Kursk accounts for a disproportionate share of these losses, as the fighting there is at least twice as intense as the fighting in other sectors, according to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies. “Russian forces maintain a high attack frequency in Kursk Oblast, launching assaults at intervals of 10 to 15 minutes,” CDS noted.
The Kremlin rebuilt several regiments and brigades with fresh vehicles and North Korean reinforcements, including the 51st Airborne Regiment and the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, and then hurled them at the Kursk salient on Thursday.
“Generally speaking, they are pushing to capture as much as possible, for many reasons,” analyst Andrew Perpetua wrote about the Russians. “First, they are running out of resources to fight the war; second, their economy is shit; third, they view Ukraine as vulnerable; fourth, they see the United States as utterly impotent.”
Nearly a week later, the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade has consolidated its positions around the village of Pogrebki, on the edge of the salient. But it’s done so at the cost of potentially dozens of vehicles—including factory-fresh BTR-82s—and hundreds of people.
A trio of powerful Ukrainian brigades, including the newly reorganized 17th Heavy Mechanized Brigade, is punishing the Russian marines and paratroopers for every yard they advance. Incredibly, local Ukrainian forces have even managed to counterattack in a few places along the front line in Kursk, ultimately advancing “slightly” near Novoivanovka, according to CDS.
The fighting shows no sign of letting up. Amid the uncertainty of extreme and unsustainable losses and global political change, the Russians are going for broke in Kursk.
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Sources:
5. Center for Defense Strategies
“Generally speaking, they are pushing to capture as much as possible, for many reasons,” analyst Andrew Perpetua wrote about the Russians. “First, they are running out of resources to fight the war; second, their economy is shit; third, they view Ukraine as vulnerable; fourth, they see the United States as utterly impotent.”
All true and all very good aspects for Ukraine and its brave fighters!
Various trolls are downplaying the Kursk front, downplaying the importance of Kursk. The intensity of battles there, speak quite a different language. Vladolf is extremely irritated that the area is still under Ukrainian control.
That’s why Europe has to keep Ukraine in the fight in the next year. Mafia land is on it’s last legs. Konstantin last night said the housing market is on the verge of collapse, soon to be followed by a banking collapse.
And eventually a military collapse.
Yep, and putler swinging by his scrawny neck from a lamppost, with the rest of the mafia gang to keep him company.
I would pay lots of money to see that.