Ukrainian forces launched a series of battalion-sized mechanized assaults in Kursk Oblast on 6 February, advancing up to five kilometers behind Russian lines southeast of Sudzha, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.
Geolocated footage showed Ukrainian forces advanced southwest of Makhnovka and north and east of Cherkasskaya Konopelka along the 38K-028 Sudzha-Oboyan highway, seizing the villages of Kolmakov and Fanaseyevka.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Ukrainian forces attacked in several waves toward Cherkasskaya Konopelka and Ulanok with up to two mechanized battalions of armored vehicles, stating Russian forces repelled the attack.
Kursk operation caused 40,000 Russian casualties in six months, Ukraine’s GenStaff says
Russian military bloggers estimated Ukrainian forces deployed 30 to 50 armored vehicles in the operation. According to these sources, one Ukrainian group successfully attacked from Makhnovka towards Cherkasskaya Konopelka, Fanaseyevka, and Ulanok, while Russian forces reportedly repelled another group attacking from Dmitriukov towards Russkaya Konopelka.
Conflicting reports emerged about territorial gains, with some Russian sources claiming Ukrainian forces seized Ulanok, while others denied these claims. A Kremlin-linked Russian milblogger claimed Ukrainian forces seized Cherkasskaya Konopelka, but two others refuted it.
“ISW has not yet observed geolocated evidence to assess that Ukrainian forces are operating in Ulanok. The Ukrainian General Staff published a map on February 6 indicating that Russian forces recently marginally advanced in a forested area southwest of Kurilovka,” ISW wrote.
A Kremlin-linked Russian milblogger reported unconfirmed Ukrainian attacks near Kruglenkoye, but ISW found no further claims of activity there or near Berdin.
Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian forces launched the attacks during poor weather conditions that hampered Russian drone operations in the area. Some expressed concern that further Ukrainian advances could threaten rear areas of Russian forces attacking Guyevo and complicate Russia’s ability to interdict Ukrainian supply lines.
Russian sources identified several units defending against the Ukrainian attacks, including elements of the 11th Airborne Brigade, the Black Sea’s 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, the 44th Army Corps’ 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, the Caspian Flotilla’s 177th Naval Infantry Regiment, and Chechen Akhmat drone operators.
Related:
- Kursk operation caused 40,000 Russian casualties in six months, Ukraine’s GenStaff says
- Frontline report: Russia’s Kursk offensive crumbles as North Koreans pull back
- ISW: Russian advances slow despite maintaining high casualty rates
- Russia’s Pacific coast official turned commander dies fighting against Ukraine
- Russia struck boarding school with elderly civilians in Kursk Oblast occupied by Ukraine [updated]
- NYT: North Korean troops withdrawn from front lines after casualties mount
