Russian forces have focused their efforts on Selydove to the southeast of Pokrovsk.
According to the latest assessment of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces have made significant territorial gains in Russian territory and along the Eastern front.
New territorial gains in Ukraine highlight active defensive operations, while Russia commits large numbers of forces to maintain its year-long offensive which has been slowly advancing towards the east.
In the Kursk Oblast of Russia, Ukrainian forces have successfully advanced south-east of Korenevo and established new positions along Snagost River, which is strategically important. Geolocated footage confirms Ukrainian presence in Darino & Nikolaevo-Darino. This marks a notable push onto Russian territory. Ukrainian forces also maintain positions on the railway line in the Glushkovsky Raion south of Novy Put, west of the main Ukrainian salient. Ukrainian forces used a drone with first-person views (FPV) to destroy a Russian Strela-10 system in the region as a demonstration of technological capabilities.
Ukrainian forces have made important progress in urban combat operations on the eastern front of Donetsk oblast. In Toretsk they have successfully regained lost tactical positions along Dzerzhynskoho Street. This is a reverse of the Russian gains made in the area. Near Pokrovsk the Ukrainian forces showed their offensive capabilities by launching a successful mechanized attack in the vicinity of Novohrodivka Mine No. 1/3, challenging Russian control of the region.
Russian forces have concentrated their efforts on Selydove to the southeast of Pokrovsk. ISW’s assessment shows that the Russian forces have paid a high strategic price for their focus on Selydove, as it has limited their ability to exert effective pressure on Pokrovsk. This remains their self-declared objective in this sector.
Vladimir Putin, Russian President, claimed at a Kazan press conference that Russian forces had surrounded 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers within the Kursk Oblast. The ISW, however, notes that Putin failed to acknowledge the fact that Ukrainian forces control sections of the border which allows them to freely travel between Ukraine and the salient of Kursk Oblast. This effectively undermines his claim of encirclement.
The Russian president made what ISW calls a likely overstated claim about Ukrainian losses. He claimed that Ukrainian forces had lost around 26,000 personnel in operations in Kursk Oblast “over the past month and a half.”
The ongoing operations in this area highlight the dynamic nature the conflict. Both sides continue to engage in offensives and defensives operations across multiple sectors. The Ukrainian advances show their ability to conduct successful operations within Russian territory as well as along the traditional frontlines, despite Russian attempts to maintain control of occupied areas.
General Christopher Cavoli explained the reason for Russia’s slow reaction to Ukraine’s Kursk Operation. It stems in part from the uncertainty of “who is in control” of the response in Russia, while the Ministry of Defense oversees the military actions in Ukraine.
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