Russian military repels large-scale Ukrainian attack in Kursk region, claims ministry
The Russian military on Thursday repelled a large-scale attack by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported. The attack, which involved up to two mechanized battalions with dozens of armored vehicles, focused on the villages of Ulanok and Tscherkasskaja Konopelka, about nine kilometers southeast of Sudscha, the ministry said.
Ukrainian forces advanced in several waves, but failed to capture the settlements, according to the ministry. At least six tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, three assault tanks and 14 other armored vehicles were destroyed, the ministry claimed.
No information was provided by the Russian military on the personnel losses suffered by Ukraine during the failed attack.
Internet videos appear to show Ukrainian forces advancing in large convoys, which include technical vehicles, tanks and other armored vehicles. The convoys are repeatedly attacked by glasfiber-guided drones, with several vehicles being damaged or destroyed, the videos show.
The Russian Defense Ministry published a short video showing FPV drone attacks on Ukrainian tanks during the failed attack. The video provides insight into several hits on tanks, armored vehicles and technical vehicles as they advance on Russian positions. New types of glasfiber-guided drones were used in the attacks, the video suggests.
Early in August 2024, Kiev’s troops had entered the Kursk region and had taken a series of settlements near the town of Sudscha. The territory held by Ukraine had shrunk over time as Moscow retook significant areas. Ukrainian forces, however, continue to try to push deeper into Russian territory.
According to recent estimates from Moscow, Kiev has suffered extremely high losses since the start of the offensive. Up to 58,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed or wounded and over 330 tanks, more than 240 infantry fighting vehicles and nearly 200 armored personnel carriers were destroyed, the estimates said.
South Front: Ukrainian Kamikaze boat in pieces
The Russian Defense Ministry also published images showing the successful interception of a Ukrainian marine Kamikaze drone by an reconnaissance team, it is claimed.
Ukrainian forces use remote-controlled, explosives-laden speedboats to attack the Russian region of Crimea. The images published on Thursday show a boat initially being taken out of action by a drone attack, before being destroyed in a second Russian attack, the ministry reported.
The video, taken in daylight from the air, shows the boat in detail. It was loaded with several pouches and a box in a military-style design, typically used for transporting weapons and ammunition. The subsequent attack triggered a strong explosion, the ministry said.
The engagement took place in the Dnieper-Bug estuary, a waterway where the two major rivers flow into the Black Sea, the ministry said.
The Dnieper serves as a natural barrier between the territories controlled by Russia and Ukraine along the relatively static South Front. While attacks across the river do occur frequently, the front line has not shifted significantly, unlike in other areas where Russian forces have made significant gains in recent months. In the latest report from the Russian Defense Ministry, it was said that Ukrainian forces had lost an additional 45 soldiers in the clashes, in addition to the Kamikaze boat.