In addition, it was once again discovered that the Russians are extremely weak in combat maneuvers and when they have to show ingenuity and initiative, they quickly lose. This is due to the weakness of the training system, which prefers schematism. When something goes beyond the accepted assumptions, Russian commanders find it difficult to adapt to new conditions. Consequently, the Ukrainians are rapidly moving in open areas.
A tactic known in battles in the Pacific
The Ukrainians carried out the operation according to Western models. First, they neutralized Russian reconnaissance, cordoned off the battlefield, then special forces moved in, and then the 22nd Independent Mechanized Brigade. It was equipped with Polish PT-91 tanks and BWP-1 armored personnel carriers, and then trained at Polish training grounds.
After breaking through the defense, the Ukrainians moved on, breaking through subsequent units. Currently, units from all four regiments of the Ranger Corps of the Special Operations Forces are fighting on the tip of each operational direction. This is a Ukrainian special forces unit that was reportedly created in April 2024.
They conduct reconnaissance, sabotage and trap operations deep inside Russia. Some groups have reached almost Kursk, crossing the road connecting the city with Belgorod. In the west, special forces operate near Rylsk. There they await the main forces of the 22nd Brigade, which is approaching from Korenów, located approximately 40 km northwest of Suja. If Rylsk is reached, it can be expected that more Ukrainian troops will be able to attack from Głukhiv. Thanks to this, the Ukrainians were able to attack the city of sixteen thousand inhabitants from both sides.
So far, the 22nd Brigade has captured the village of Snagost, located 13 km south of Korenowo, with a population of 6,000. There are no Russian forces in the town yet, so the Ukrainians may take control of the town in the next few hours. Especially since on the night of Sunday to Monday, PT-91 tanks fought near the village of Tołpino, less than 6 km north of Korenowo. The Ukrainians did not manage to enter the village immediately, but it was only a matter of time before it was captured.
North of Suja, fighting is taking place near the urban-type settlement Kromskie Byki, where the first attack by the 82nd Independent Assault Brigade’s strike group was stopped. Further east, along the R-200 road, the 88th Independent Mechanized Brigade is heading straight towards Kurs.
The Ukrainians do not attempt to break through all the defenses. They use a tactic similar to the American one known from World War II fighting in the Pacific – the “leap frog” tactic. Small pockets of resistance are simply bypassed, leaving them to be eliminated by Ranger units, drones and artillery.
Ukrainians are also expanding their bridgehead to the southeast. Ukrainians have occupied the village of Plechowo and in several places have crossed the Psioł River, heading towards the city of Belice. This has resulted in the decision to evacuate several cities in the Belarusian region. Ukrainian soldiers have also entered the village of Poroz in Belgorod Oblast, located a few kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
The Russians are bringing reinforcements
In all directions, the Ukrainians are strengthening the captured positions and introducing new battalion battle groups. Currently, the Russians estimate the Ukrainian forces at 60-70 groups. Therefore, contrary to the original announcements that other operational directions would not be weakened, the Russians began to withdraw units from the front. First of all, Russian attack aircraft appeared over the Kursk gap, which had not been seen on the Donbass front for many months. More than 50% of the search and combat flights of all Russian military aviation are carried out in the Kursk region.
From the vicinity of Wołczańsk, the Russians are bringing in elements of the 810th Independent Guards Marine Rifle Brigade and the 155th Independent Guards Marine Rifle Brigade, which was named the Guards Marines after the fighting in Bucha, where its soldiers participated in ethnic cleansing. Four battalions of the operational reserve of Army Group North have also been brought in from the direction of Kharkov.
Other units were brought in directly from training camps and barracks, where they had undergone training and reorganization after combat losses, such as the 15th Armored Regiment of the 69th Mechanized Division, or two battalions of the 7th Air Assault Division, the 38th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade, which, after losses in the Donbas, was withdrawn to the General Staff’s strategic reserve, where it would be rebuilt. Three reinforced battalions of motorized riflemen from school regiments, which were training recruits at training camps in the Kursk region, were also sent to the breach.
The way the Russians are trying to plug the gap shows how short the blanket is. The strong Ukrainian attack, although local, meant that the Russians had to bring in more than half of their air forces, troops fighting in the Kharkiv region and even training units. The Russians have concentrated almost all their forces in the Donbass, where they move extremely slowly. They have run out of units that could protect the borders.
The Border Protection Service of the Federal Security Service, whose battalions on the border with Ukraine are equipped with BTR-80 armored personnel carriers, KamAZ BPM-97 and 2S1 Gvozdika armored self-propelled howitzers, focused on their defense. These are not forces that would be able to fight a regular army, not only due to their equipment, but also due to their training.
It may be even more surprising that command of the operation in Kursk Oblast was given to the head of the FSB, General of the Army Alexander Bortnikov, and not to the Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Valery Gerasimov. Bortnikov has no military experience. He spent his entire career in the KGB and the FSB. He held operational and managerial positions in the USSR counterintelligence units in Leningrad and, after the collapse of the USSR, in the headquarters of the KGB’s successor, the FSB.
He is not doing well at the moment. The intelligence he directs did not detect the Ukrainian buildup before the attack, and now the units subordinate to him are rapidly handing over more kilometers of Russian land to the Ukrainians. Both sides are bringing more troops into the breach. The question is how deep the reserves are for the Ukrainians and Russians. The fog of war has settled over this for now.
