Russia relocates units from Pokrovsk direction amid Kursk operation - ISW
Illustrative photo (getty images)
Russian military command may have redeployed limited units originally intended to reinforce Russia's offensive operations in the Pokrovsk direction to defend against a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region. Consequently, the operational pressure from the Ukrainian advance in Kursk is impacting Russian operations across all sectors, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian sources, including social media users, reported on August 14 and 17 that at least one company from the Russian 15th Motorized Rifle Brigade (2nd Combined Arms Army [CAA]) had been redeployed from the Pokrovsk direction to the Kursk region. Some Russian and Ukrainian communities also reported that unspecified elements of the 15th Motorized Rifle Brigade had been moved to Kursk.
ISW has received reports indicating that brigade units were active east of Pokrovsk in mid-August and continue to be so.
A volunteer-led OSINT organization Evocation.info reported on August 19 that Russia had also redeployed parts of the 1st "Slavic" Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st Donetsk People's Republic [DNR] Army Corps [AC]) from the Donetsk direction to Kursk.
ISW found no confirmation that the redeployed elements had previously participated in frontline combat in the Toretsk or Pokrovsk directions, which are considered priorities for Russia. These redeployed units were likely reserves intended to bolster Russia’s forces in these directions and avert the premature conclusion of operations.
Institute analysts note that the decision to redeploy limited units to Kursk rather than involve them in the offensive operations to capture Pokrovsk or Toretsk indicates that the Russian military command has been unable to fully isolate its priority offensive operations in Donetsk from the need for manpower.
ISW emphasizes that the Russian command has so far avoided redeploying forces planned for offensive operations in the Toretsk or Pokrovsk directions to the defense of Kursk and has predominantly concentrated forces from less priority areas — northern Kharkiv, the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, and western Zaporizhzhia.
The Institute noted that the redeployment of limited units from the 15th and 1st Motorized Rifle Brigades will not have an immediate impact on the combat situation in the Pokrovsk or Toretsk directions, but further, similar movements can be expected.
It is worth noting that one of the objectives of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operations in the Kursk region is to compel Russia to redeploy some of its forces from Donetsk to Kursk.
However, Russia has instead intensified its attacks in the Pokrovsk direction. Previously, it was reported that Russian military forces continued to redeploy from less prioritized sections of the front in Ukraine to the front line in the Kursk region.
