Russia don dey intensify their efforts to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast before the weather become bad for fighting in late 2024 and early 2025. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian military command dey worry say if dem no act fast, Ukrainian forces go get time to fortify their positions, making it harder for Russian forces to advance.
Ukraine launch their operation in Kursk on August 6, 2024, to distract Russian forces and make dem divert resources from other critical fronts like Donetsk Oblast. But despite the initial success, Russia still dey push forward in Donetsk Oblast, especially around the strategic city of Pokrovsk.
Russian forces don redeploy about 50,000 personnel to Kursk Oblast since the incursion begin, according to Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi. Many of these units be VDV elements (Airborne Forces) which Russia usually use to quickly reinforce priority operations. However, instead of sending dem to Donetsk Oblast, dem dey use dem in Kursk, which might affect Russia’s offensive capabilities in other areas.
ISW dey predict say the exhaustion of these operational reserves go lead to the end of Russia’s Summer 2024 offensive in the coming months. Russian military command hope say by quickly eliminating the Ukrainian presence in Kursk Oblast, dem can redeploy forces to Donetsk Oblast and achieve their objectives before the weather become bad.
Despite the intensified counterattacks, Russian forces no make rapid gains in Kursk Oblast since dem start on September 10. This situation dey threaten to exhaust and degrade the combat power Russia need for their priority operations in Donetsk Oblast.
