Russia has significantly bolstered its military presence in Kursk Oblast, increasing troop numbers to an estimated 45,000, according to Vadym Mysnyk, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Operational Command “Siversk.” This represents a three to four-fold increase from previous levels.
The troop surge comes in response to a Ukrainian operation that has held approximately 1,000 square kilometers of territory in Kursk Oblast for the past month, including about 100 settlements and the district center of Sudzha. Russia launched a counteroffensive this week, though its full scale remains unclear.
Russia has quadrupled its forces in Kursk Oblast to 45,000 troops, responding to Ukraine's month-long control of 1,000 km², said Vadym Mysnyk, OpCommand Siversk.
The reinforcements, varying in combat readiness, include units redeployed from the Ukrainian front. Russia has now… pic.twitter.com/b1RwxSHckk
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) September 14, 2024
“Open sources indicate that at the beginning of the Kursk operation, there were about 11,000 Russian troops in this direction. Now, estimates range from 30,000 to 45,000,” Mysnyk stated on Ukrainian TV.
Mysnyk detailed the composition of Russian forces, noting a mix of conscripts, border guards, and well-trained units including marine brigades and assault units transferred from other fronts.
He also reported intensified Russian shelling of Ukrainian-controlled areas within Kursk Oblast, saying, “In the past 24 hours, the enemy carried out 82 attacks on Ukraine’s Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, and 127 attacks on the Kursk Oblast area controlled by Ukrainian Defense Forces, including 37 guided air bombs.”
The capture of Sudzha by Ukrainian forces has reportedly disrupted Russian logistics significantly. Mysnyk described it as a key transport and logistical hub that effectively divides the Russian Sever (North) group, which encompasses Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod oblasts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the operation in Kursk Oblast is proceeding according to plan.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assesses that Russia is not yet conducting a large-scale operation to fully expel Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast, an effort that would likely require substantially more resources.
Read more:
- ISW: Ukrainian forces make fresh breakthrough on Russian border in Kursk Oblast
- ISW: Russians may struggle to maintain offensive tempo in Donetsk after Kursk redeployments
- Russia’s counteroffensive in Kursk puts Ukraine’s gambit to the test
- Frontline report: Russian forces finally sacrifice Pokrovsk offensive to defend Kursk
