**Russian Forces Repelled in Attempt to Capture Key Ukrainian Stronghold**
In the Kursk direction, Russia, a North Korean-secured position was meant to provide Russian forces with a decisive advantage in capturing Novoivanovka. However, this plan backfired as the BTR column disintegrated under precise defensive fire, forcing troops to abandon vehicles in panic.
**Russian Counterattack Fails**
The main Russian forces launched a decisive counterattack to collapse the Ukrainian defenses in front of Malaya Loknya. But the Russians lacked surprise and overconfidence in their mechanized units led to a disastrous outcome as the Ukrainians readily engaged them.
**Russian Objective Foiled**
The Russian objective was to capture Novoivanovka, a key Ukrainian stronghold that has withstood Russian assaults for over two months. To break its defenses, Russian forces launched a flanking maneuver to sever the village’s supply route, aiming to force a Ukrainian withdrawal. However, this plan failed as Ukrainian forces were able to repel the attack.
**North Korean Positions Prove Frustrating**
The Russian operation was made possible by North Korean control of the tactically vital forests near Kruglenkoe, north of Novoivanovka. However, faced with the futility of direct attacks, Russian generals opted to leverage the high ground near Kruglenkoe to outflank Novoivanovka’s defenses from the north.
**Russian Positions Hinder Advance**
A topographic map reveals that Russian positions north of Novoivanovka are situated on higher ground, giving them a significant tactical advantage. However, unlike the frontal assaults at Novoivanovka, Russian forces near Kruglenkoe were hindered by the need to traverse dirt roads or open fields, slowing their vehicles significantly on rough terrain.
**Ukrainian Defenses Remain Strong**
The Ukrainians’ primary defensive advantage lies in their stable positions in Novoivanovka, Leonidovka, and Malaya Loknya, which enable effective counterattacks against Russian forces attempting to secure the Malaya Loknya-Novoivanovka road. With fire control over this narrow corridor, Ukrainian defenders can inflict heavy losses on the Russian assault units.
**Russian BTR Column Destroyed**
Combat footage reveals how the Russians tried to deploy their stormtroopers on board BTR-82A armored transport vehicles at tree lines near the main road after they managed to move down from the higher elevations with almost no resistance until that point. However, once the Russian column reached the road and stopped to dismount their stormtroopers, they quickly became vulnerable to Ukrainian fire from the positions to the south of the road.
**Russian Forces Eliminated**
The Russian BTR crews realized what was going on and attempted to drive away in panic, only to crash and roll over their vehicle. As the panic and disorganization spread among the Russian ranks amidst the sudden Ukrainian fire, it only accelerated their defeat as all of them got eliminated during their attempts to escape and survive.
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