Russian forces are still advancing in the Kursk Oblast area of Ukraine. However, they are doing so despite suffering significant losses and having poor intelligence on Ukrainian positions.
The Russian military continues to push forward along multiple roads in the Kursk Oblast daily. But, according to expert David Axe from Forbes, Russian commanders are withholding important information about Ukrainian troop locations from their soldiers and top officials. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult for Russian forces to effectively target Ukrainian positions.
As a result, the Russian attacks have become costly and ineffective. According to Kriegsforscher, a Ukrainian drone operator supporting the defense in Kursk, Russian forces have lost 88 vehicles on three main roads near the village of Zelenyi Shliakh.
Ukrainian troops have been able to get close to Russian forces, taking advantage of their poor intelligence. On November 7th, for example, Ukrainian forces destroyed several BTR-82 armored vehicles at close range near the Pohrebky settlement.
A local Russian blogger pointed out that the commanders of Russia’s 810th Naval Infantry Brigade had assured top officials that they fully controlled a road through Pohrebky. As a result, Russian General Staff ordered an attack on this road. However, Ukrainian mines were still present along the route and no one in the brigade cleared them before the armored personnel carriers entered.
Experts warn that disinformation from local command to the Russian military leadership is a systemic issue in the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade and possibly other units in Kursk Oblast. This lack of accurate intelligence will likely lead to more catastrophic casualties for the Russians, regardless of the outcome of the battle.
The situation has been made worse by the arrival of 10,000 North Korean soldiers sent to eastern Russia to help the Russian forces fight off Ukrainian offensives.