According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian authorities have reportedly redeployed Russian units from the Chasiv Yar direction to Kursk Oblast.
This comes amid efforts to address the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast, with Russian forces previously in the area and redeployments from lower priority sectors of the frontline in Ukraine.
Chasiv Yar, a key road and rail network connecting the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, has been a crucial area in Ukraine’s frontline. It is located just 20 kilometers from the city of Bakhmut, which has been the site of intense fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces earlier during Russian war against Ukraine.
According to the ISW, Russian authorities reportedly re-deployed Russian units from the Chasiv Yar direction to Kursk Oblast amid efforts to address the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast.
A Russian milblogger claimed on 20 August that “elements of the Russian 11th Airborne (VDV) Brigade struck a Ukrainian armored vehicle in southern Russkaya Konopelka (east of Sudzha), and elements of the Russian 11th VDV Brigade were reportedly operating near Chasiv Yar as of late July 2024.”
However, the ISW previously reported that such deployments could affect the tempo of Russian offensive operations but that it would likely take several weeks to observe any possible impacts of such redeployments on Russian operations in Donetsk Oblast.
The ISW continues to assess that the Russian military command is likely extremely averse to pulling Russian military units engaged in combat from higher priority sectors in Donetsk Oblast due to concerns about further slowing the tempo of Russian operations in these directions.
Russian sources also claimed that “Russian forces re-deployed elements of the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment (72nd Motorized Rifle Division, 22nd Army Corps [AC], Leningrad Military District [LMD]) to Kursk Oblast, and elements of the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment were reportedly operating in northern Kharkiv Oblast as of mid-July 2024.”
The ISW has previously observed additional indications that Russian authorities are largely relying on an amalgamation of conscripts, irregular Russian forces, and regular Russian forces re-deployed from lower priority frontline areas in Ukraine to counter the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast.
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