The first news about an alleged Ukrainian military offensive in the Kursk region began to appear on Tuesday, August 6. However, Kyiv did not officially comment on the situation.
August 6
The authorities of the Kursk region stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly tried to break through, but Russian troops did not allow it. However, as it became known from Russian propaganda public, Ukrainian tanks entered the Kursk region.
However, in the evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that fighting was ongoing in the region and that Russian troop reserves had moved in.
It said that at around 8 a.m. Moscow time, up to three hundred Ukrainian troops, supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored personnel carriers, attacked the positions of the Russian state border guard units.
In addition, the governor of the region, Alexei Smirnov, said that 13 people were wounded, and one person was killed as a result of the massive shelling, allegedly by Ukraine.
August 7
A day later, Vladimir Putin reacted to the “breakthrough” in the Kursk region. He accused Ukraine of “provocation”. In addition, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin that at 05:30 on August 6, up to 1,000 soldiers of the Armed Forces “went on the offensive to seize a section of the territory of the Sudzhinsky district of the Kursk region”.
According to journalist Dan Sabb, who covers defense and security issues for The Guardian, as of the morning of August 7, Ukrainian troops had advanced about 9.5 km.
On that day, all emergency services in the region were switched to an enhanced mode of operation. Russian propaganda outlets reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had taken the towns of Mykolaiv-Daryino, Daryino, and Sverdlikovo. Later, Russian military publics reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had seized the Sudzha gas metering station in the Kursk region, which is located near the border. It is known that it is the only place where gas is currently transiting from Russia to the European Union via Ukraine.
Later, reports began to emerge that during the day, Ukrainian troops were able to advance to the town of Korenevo, 20 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Also in the evening, in the Kursk region, an FPV drone strike damaged a car driven by Russian military commander Yevgeny Piddubny. As it later became known, Piddubny survived, but suffered numerous injuries and burns, and was then transported to Moscow for treatment.
August 8
According to journalists from the Russian news outlet Agency, Ukrainian troops managed to break through two lines of defense of the Russian army, which were being built in the Kursk region. This cost the Russians about 15 billion rubles.
Telegram channels reported that in the morning, small arms fighting continued around Suzha. The Russian Ministry of Defense also stated that fighting continued in the Suzha and Korenivka districts, that the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was “not allowed” over the past day, and that “attempts by individual units to break through deeper into the territory in the Kursk direction are being stopped”.
Also, according to ISW, the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has spread to a distance of 35 kilometers beyond the Ukrainian border.
In addition, the Russian Ministry of Health said that from August 6 to 8, 66 people were injured in the shelling of the Kursk region, and 38 people remain in medical facilities.
Bloomberg wrote that Russia had known about the impending attack on the Kursk region for two weeks, but ignored intelligence reports.
August 9
On August 9, the Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState updated its map, showing for the first time information about the fighting in the Kursk region that has been going on since August 6. At the same time, analysts warned that map updates would be published with delays.
In the morning, footage of a broken convoy of the Russian army moving along the Hlukhiv-Kursk highway near the village of Oktyabrske also began to appear. Video footage of the aftermath of the strike on the convoy showed at least 14 damaged trucks with military personnel.
Following the defeat of the Russian military convoy, it became known that at the same time, Russian troops sent other reinforcements to the war zone in the Kursk region.
In addition, the mayor of the city of Kurchatov, Igor Korpunkov, said that there were battles tens of kilometers from the Kursk nuclear power plant.
The acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, said that a fire broke out in one of the districts as a result of a Ukrainian UAV striking a transformer substation. He did not provide evidence of Ukraine’s involvement in the strike.
Another Russian Mi-8 helicopter was also destroyed by an FPV drone. According to volunteer and activist Serhii Sternenko, the helicopter was hit in the tail section.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Kursk region reported problems with mobile signal and Internet connection due to DDoS attacks. In turn, Roskomnadzor announced the blocking of the Signal messenger in Russia “due to violation of the law”.
August 10
Photos of a destroyed column of Russian military equipment in the Kursk region are posted online.
ISW reports that the convoy of Russian vehicles that was broken up in the Kursk region may have consisted of 14 Ural and KAMAZ trucks carrying Russian reserves. The burned convoy of Russian vehicles was spotted along the 38K-017 highway. It was hit east of Rylsk near the village of Oktyabrske in Kursk region.
On the night of August 10, Russia introduced the largest-ever counterterrorism operation (CTO) regime. It was established in three regions at once as a result of the military offensive. The regime was introduced in the Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions, as reported by the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC) and the administrations of the Russian regions. The NAC added that Kyiv had made an “unprecedented attempt to destabilize the situation” in a number of Russian regions.
Russian media write that in terms of the number of people covered (about 4 million people), the CTO regime has become the largest in Russian history.
On Saturday, footage emerged of a group of Ukrainian soldiers entering the village of Poroz in the Belgorod region. Analysts and military observers indicated that the move could be a way to disperse Russian troops. Later, the governor of the Belgorod region said that there were no Ukrainian troops there, but acknowledged that they had entered the village earlier.
It also became known that more than 76,000 people were evacuated from the border areas of the Kursk region.
August 11
On the night of August 11, the Ukrainian Defense Forces allegedly advanced toward the Bilovsk district of Kursk Oblast, south of Sudzha. This information was first reported by Russian pro-war bloggers. Later, it was confirmed by the head of the Bilove district, Mykola Volobuev.
A video of the installation of a Ukrainian flag in the allegedly Kursk region’s Guievo village was circulated on social media. Earlier, Russian military correspondents claimed that the settlement had come under the control of Ukrainian troops.
In addition, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that air defense destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones and 4 Tochku-U tactical missiles over the Kursk region overnight. The governor of Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, said that a missile was shot down in Kursk. It fell on a residential building, injuring 13 people.
On August 11, the Commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, also posted a photo with the caption: “We are continuing the operation.” However, Oleksandr Syrskyi did not officially comment on the actions in the Kursk region.
Meanwhile, DeepState reported that the 225th Special Forces unit defeated a Kadyrovites [pro-Russian Chechen forces led by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov – ed.] unit.
Reaction of politicians and experts
Markus Faber, a German politician from the Free Democratic Party and chairman of the defense committee, reacted to the situation in the Kursk region.
The Ukrainian offensive against the invading troops near Kursk is going better t han expected. This forces the aggressor to withdraw massive troops from the front in the east. This creates relaxation there. A reason to talk about more Leopard2, – he wrote in X.
Jason Jay Smart, an American political strategist and political scientist who works in Ukraine, said that Russian media reported that the area of fighting in Kursk region increased by 70 km² overnight. And now it is about 720 km².
Russian citizens complain that the government has abandoned them. They are right, – he added.
In turn, Sergei Sumlenny said that Putin had removed army officer Gerasimov from the command of the Kursk operation and put Portnikov from the FSB in charge.
The Russian system of government has always established a secret police over the army. For centuries, the secret police has received excessive funding and powers. So now the FSB is taking on the task of repelling a foreign invasion because the army is not sufficient for this (which is true). But what can the FSB do? They can only pacify (with great terror) the already occupied territories. And one more thing: the FSB will probably get Ukrainian uniforms and demonstratively execute local Russians to create “evidence of Ukraine’s brutality.” This is what the NKVD/MGB/KGB did in western Ukraine to suppress support for the Resistance, and later the FSB in Ichkeria, – Sergej Sumlenny wrote on X.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press conference on August 7 that he “leaves it to Ukraine to talk about what kind of operation it is conducting and what the goals of that operation are”. However, he added that the United States is in contact with Ukraine on this issue.
He also noted that it is “a bit much” for the Russians to call the actions of Ukrainians a provocation, given that Russia has been violating Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty since 2014.
Miller also added that the US policy of allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons on Russian territory near the border has not changed.
Spokesperson for the European Commission for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano said in a commentary to Suspilne on the events in Kursk region that Ukraine “has a legitimate right to defend itself, including by striking the aggressor on its territory”.
The EU continues to fully support Ukraine’s legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and its efforts to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity, – he added.
It is worth noting that on August 9, Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the United States had provided Ukraine with a new military aid package.
The missiles for Stinger, HIMARS and various anti-tank weapons, as well as 155-caliber ammunition and other equipment provided by this package are essential for our forces to counter Russian offensives. It is very important that the United States continues to take decisive steps and demonstrate leadership in the defense of Ukrainian freedom and European stability, – the President of Ukraine wrote.
He also added that he appreciates the support of the United States since the first days of the full-scale Russian invasion, which has already allowed us to save many lives together.
Kateryna Yashchuk
