Russia's counterattack in Kursk region shows marginal success while Ukrainian forces advance - ISW
Illustrative photo (getty images)
On September 12, Russian forces continued their counterattacks across the Ukrainian bulge in the Kursk region but achieved only minor successes. The limited progress is likely due to ongoing Ukrainian offensive operations and defensive counterattacks in the area, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Geolocated footage released on September 12 shows that Russian forces made minor advances west of Vishnevka (southwest of Korenevo) and in the northern part of Krasnooktyabrskoye (southwest of Korenevo).
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian troops had recaptured 10 settlements south and southwest of Korenevo since the start of counterattacks on the night of September 10-11. These settlements include Apanasovka, Byakhovo, Vishnevka, Viktorovka, Vnezapnoye, Gordeevka, Krasnooktyabrskoye, Obukhovka, Snagost, and October 10. All these settlements fall within the declared boundaries of the Russian advance, but ISW has yet to see visual confirmation of the recapture of any of these areas, except for parts of Snagost and Krasnooktyabrskoye.
Russian military bloggers claim that Russian forces continue their advance southeast of Korenevo and northeast of Snagost (southwest of Korenevo), although ISW has not seen visual confirmation of these claims.
Ukrainian forces have continued their counterattacks in areas where Russian forces began their counteroffensive and launched additional attacks beyond the bulge, achieving successes in the Hlushkivka district (west of Korenevo). Geolocated footage published on September 12 shows that Ukrainian infantry advanced across the border into the southwestern part of Tetkino (approximately 40 km southwest of the current Ukrainian bulge in the Kursk region). Additional geolocated footage released on September 12 shows Ukrainian armored vehicles and infantry bypassing Russian anti-tank obstacles known as Dragon’s Teeth on the Russian-Ukrainian border southwest of Novy Put (southwest of Hlushkivka) without resistance. This suggests that Ukrainian forces have made advances in the area and that Russian forces are unprepared to use the obstacles to repel Ukrainian attacks across the border.
Russian sources report that Ukrainian forces continue their advance in the areas of Novy Put, Medvezhye (southeast of Hlushkivka), Snagost, Olgovka (east of Korenevo), and Fanaseyevka (southeast of Sudzha).
Russian counterattack
On September 10, Russian forces began conducting counterattacks in the Kursk region.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian counteroffensive actions in the Kursk region are occurring according to a Ukrainian plan.
ISW notes that it remains unclear whether the Russian forces have sufficient troops to expel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region or to defend against new Ukrainian counterattacks.
The US Department of Defense confirmed reports of Russian attempts to carry out counteroffensive operations in the Kursk region. The Pentagon characterized the scale of these actions as marginal.
