Ukrainian Forces push Into Kursk region: capture villages and down Russian helicopters amid intense battles
Border skirmishes erupted yesterday in the Kursk region of Russia, involving armed groups moving in from Ukraine. Ukrainian Armed Forces command has remained silent on the nature of the attacks, leaving it unclear whether regular troops or volunteers from the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) or the “Freedom of Russia Legion” are leading the charge.
Throughout the day, Russian war bloggers and Kremlin war correspondents reported intense fighting. They highlighted the significant numbers of Ukrainian groups, their armored vehicles, and the apparent coordination of attacks on multiple fronts. It wasn't until the evening that Russia's Ministry of Defense (MoD) admitted the presence of armed groups on its territory, stating that Ukrainian troops had tried to break through but suffered heavy losses and retreated. This segment was later removed from their Telegram channel.
Clashes between both sides resulted in substantial losses: two Russian helicopters, a K-52 and a combat support aircraft, were downed. Preliminary reports also suggest that a Ukrainian fighter jet shot down a Russian Su-34 in the Kursk region, although this has not been confirmed. Additionally, two T-64 tanks being transported to the combat zones were destroyed. At least six Russian soldiers were captured, including two conscripts. Intense battles continue, with reports describing Ukrainian forces' push towards Sudzha.
The Russian Telegram channel “Arkhangel Spetznaz Z” asserts, “Over the past night, up to two battalions have been deployed. They’re actively using artillery and progressing towards Sudzha, as they did yesterday".
According to “Rybar”, a channel close to the Russian MoD, Ukrainian units have seized the villages of Nikolaevo-Darino, Darino, and Sverdlivko. Additionally, clashes are ongoing in Goncharovka and Oleshne.
“Arkhangel Spetznaz” and another channel, “Two Majors,” report Ukrainian advances towards Sudzha have led to a virtual evacuation of the town. Russian pro-military Telegram groups speculate that one of the Ukrainian forces' objectives might be the destruction of the Sudzha gas metering station.
The “Rybar” channel states, “During the day, Sudzha residents evacuated primarily on their own, under fire from Ukrainian formations. The enemy remotely mined the Sudzha-Belitsa highway, hindering both the evacuation and Russian troop reinforcements."
Acting regional governor Alexey Smirnov confirmed that three civilians were killed and 28 injured in the Ukrainian attacks. On August 7th, the Russian MoD reported downing three Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region, four over Kursk, and two each over Voronezh and Rostov.
Western analysts, including Forbes expert David Axe, describe the invasion of the Kursk region as "pointless." Axe believes that the “Freedom of Russia Legion,” fighting on Russian soil, would be more effective on the eastern front, where the Ukrainian Armed Forces are struggling against Russian advances.
“This is all very dramatic—yet a shameful waste of precious military resources. As the Legion dilly-dallied in Sudzha, a town of little military worth, Ukrainian brigades retreated from New York in eastern Ukraine,” the analyst writes.
Axe argues that the Legion is squandering its troops and ammunition to capture a small contingent of Russians in a border town that Ukraine has little intention to hold long-term. According to him, the primary objective of these border incursions is propaganda. “These hundreds of legionnaires should be defending the east, not embarking on northern adventures,” the expert concludes.