Russian Defense Ministry, on September 12, announced that Russian soldiers had regained control of 10 settlements previously captured by Ukraine in Kursk Oblast. This update followed reports suggesting that Moscow had launched a counterattack in the contested region, which has been partially controlled by Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the cross-border incursion on August 6.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed these reports on September 12, stating that operations were proceeding according to plan during a press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda.
One of the villages reportedly recaptured by Russia, Snagost, is situated approximately 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the Ukrainian-held Russian town of Sudzha and around 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
Situation deteriorated in Kursk Oblast
On September 11, the Ukrainian crowd-sourced monitoring group DeepState reported that the situation on the western flank of Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast had deteriorated. They noted that Russians had intensified assault operations, transporting armored vehicles across the Seim River and other smaller rivers. Ukraine had previously targeted bridges and pontoon crossings across the Seim River, seemingly to isolate Russian troops in the Glushkovsky district.
On September 6, Zelensky had stated that Ukraine controlled over 1,300 square kilometers and about 100 settlements in Kursk Oblast. Kyiv indicated that the incursion was intended to divert Russian forces from Donbas and to prevent further Russian cross-border attacks from Kursk Oblast.
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Ukraine offensive and Russian counterattack
Ukraine launched its offensive with the apparent goal of diverting Russia’s focus from its advance into eastern Ukraine. The offensive now claims control of up to 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory. Despite this, Russian forces continued to capture villages in eastern Ukraine and are closing in on the strategic town of Pokrovsk.
Analysts from the US-based Institute for the Study of War noted that the scale, scope, and future of the Russian counterattacks were uncertain, and it was too early to make definitive conclusions. A social media account associated with a Ukrainian brigade reported that Russian forces had unexpectedly initiated their attack near Snagost, prompting Ukrainians to mount a counteroffensive.
Russian military expert Anatoly Matviychuk informed the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper that over 100 square kilometers of territory had been recaptured and claimed that the enemy’s reserves, reinforcements, and logistical supplies could no longer reach the Kursk region. The Russian military was reportedly surprised by the scale and intensity of the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region early last month.
Russian forces just a few kilometers away from Pokrovsk
Moscow was astonished by how easily Ukrainian forces took towns and villages, including Sudzha. However, President Vladimir Putin stated nearly a month later that these efforts had failed. He mentioned that Ukrainian forces had attempted to unsettle Russia by forcing troop movements and disrupting the offensive in key areas, particularly in Donbas. Putin argued that the Ukrainian offensive had not achieved its intended effect and had instead advanced Moscow’s main objective of capturing the Donbas, which includes Ukraine’s industrial regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Russian forces are now just a few kilometers away from Pokrovsk and its neighboring town Myrnohrad, with intense fighting reported on the approaches to Pokrovsk. An overpass between the two towns was destroyed overnight into Thursday, and the Donetsk regional head reported that a water supply line to Pokrovsk had been cut, although the town still had access to several wells.
Meanwhile, a Russian drone attack in the northern Ukrainian town of Konotop, a crucial hub for Kyiv’s Kursk campaign preparations, resulted in 14 people being wounded. Prosecutors in the Sumy border region released photographs showing damaged apartment blocks in the town. The strike also caused a power outage in Konotop, with officials reporting significant damage to energy infrastructure.
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