Russia fails to halt the advance on Kursk, Western media reports

Russia has failed to repel Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast despite sending in reinforcements and extra military hardware, The Financial Times has reported, citing Ukrainian military personnel involved in the operation.

“Russian general Valery Gerasimov has repeatedly attempted to portray the situation as being under control, with the defense ministry posting videos on Sunday [August 11] of fighter jets and helicopters purportedly striking columns of Ukrainian equipment. But verified videos and photographs show Ukrainian troops and equipment have advanced 30km inside Russia since the operation began on Tuesday, moving further into Kursk and occupying the town of Sudzha near the Russian border,” the newspaper’s reporters wrote.

Ukrainian forces currently have the upper hand, as the daring raid passes into a dramatic seventh day.  Sensitive operational details of the operation are not being disclosed, because the Ukrainian Armed Forces are in the position of “waiting to see how it develops first,” explained a Ukrainian Defense Ministry official.

Ukrainian and Russian units have begun digging trenches in Kursk Oblast, Forbes writes. On the seventh day of the operation, there are increasing evidence that the Ukrainian corps – a force of up to five brigades with 2,000 personnel, plus at least one separate battalion of 400 personnel – is planning to stay and hold its captured positions.

“Stabilization of the front line – and a long-term Ukrainian occupation of part of Kursk – is on the table,” the journalists write.

“The ultimate aim of Ukraine’s incursion – which is using some of its best and most elite brigades – remains unclear. But the operation has demonstrated that Russia’s border defenses are still weak more than a year after Ukraine’s first mini-incursion and has given Kyiv a much-needed morale boost,” the FT writes.

According to the high-ranking Ukrainian official, Ukraine does not plan to annex the territories it currently controls.  France24 reports that Ukrainian troops, while on Russian territory, have pledged to adhere to international humanitarian law.

“The aim is to stretch the positions of the enemy, to inflict maximum losses and to destabilize the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border. … There is no idea of annexation… We are operating in strict accordance with international law,” the source said.

“We are going deeper [into Russian territory],” said Denys, a Ukrainian soldier who has conducted three rotations into Russia since the operation began. Another soldier, Kostiantyn, considering the success of such an audacious military operation, declared that it “really lifted our spirits. We feel confident of Ukrainian victory,” he added.

As of now, on the seventh day, the Ukrainian operation continues to press ahead. Several Ukrainian sources report that Ukrainian units have advanced 50 km into Russian territory just in recent days.  As a result the total length of the front in the Kursk direction has increased to 70 km. This means that Ukrainian forces control half of the Sudzha district. Additionally, there are reports of the fighting spreading to the neighboring Belgorod region of Russia. The number of Russian military personnel captured by Ukrainians has risen to nearly 500.

In response, the Russian authorities are trying to carry out an emergency evacuation of civilians from Kursk Oblast. As of August 12, 121,000 Russians have already left the area. Evacuations from Belgorod Oblast have also begun today. In a further development to this fast-moving situation, the Russian military is constructing hasty fortifications near to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.