Russian troops have suffered significant losses during assaults due to minefields established in the Kursk Oblast by Ukrainian forces, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast launched on 6 August 2024, aimed to counter Russian aggression and disrupt planned offensives. Ukrainian forces advanced up to 35 kilometers into Russian territory, capturing hundreds of soldiers and reportedly inflicting over 20,000 casualties on Russian forces. The operation was a response to intelligence suggesting Russia planned to create a “buffer zone” in northern Ukraine.
The General Staff reports that in October alone, Russian forces lost or damaged over 20 pieces of military equipment due to mine-explosive barriers. These barriers are set up by the engineering troops of the Support Forces with the help of a tactical group in Kursk Oblast.
The Ukrainian military says Russian forces lost or damaged seven armored personnel carriers, seven infantry fighting vehicles, one “Tiger” armored vehicle, and five T-72 main battle tanks in October.
Russia lost the equipment due to the absence or poor execution of engineering reconnaissance, which should involve engineering units clearing and detecting mines. Ukrainian forces actively mine potential advance routes, deploying drones to drop mines on specific areas.
Militarnyi reports that Ukrainian soldiers from the 36th Marine Brigade and the 1st Tank Brigade repelled a Russian assault in the Kursk Oblast recently. The Ukrainian brigade troops prepared their positions for the attack by mining the approach route that the Russians intended to use to reach Ukrainian positions.
Despite Russian troops’ significant advantage in armored vehicles, the Ukrainian soldiers organized well-coordinated protection, which the Russians were unable to breach with the small groups it sent for defense without proper engineering reconnaissance.
Earlier, the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, named after Yakiv Handziuk, together with the 21st Separate Special Operations Battalion of the Presidential Brigade, halted an assault on the southern outskirts of Krasnohorivka with unconventional mining.
During the battle, the lead Russian tank, equipped with the modern TMT-K mine roller, detonated on a mine, causing the assault column to stop and subsequently be destroyed.
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