Russian and North Korean military start offensive in Kursk region - Forbes
Photo: Russian and North Korean troops launch an offensive in the Kursk region on November 7 (KIRILL CHUBOTIN UkrinformFuture Publishing via Getty Images)
Russian marines, together with the North Korean military, launched an offensive in the Kursk region on November 7. But they suffered losses, according to Forbes.
“Russian marines apparently backed by North Korean reinforcements threw themselves at Ukrainian positions in Kursk Oblast in western Russia on Thursday,” the agency writes.
According to the article, Russia's 810th Marine Brigade with North Korean reinforcements that arrived at the front last month was not the only Russian unit to counterattack the Kursk salient, but it may have been the most unsuccessful.
Russian offensive in Kursk region
According to the Ukrainian marine aerial reconnaissance officer Kriegsforscher, cited by Forbes, the 810th Marine Brigade recently received a shipment of 40 BTR-82 wheeled armored personnel carriers to compensate for some of the losses it suffered during its attempts and failures to drive the Ukrainian army out of the Kursk region.
Thus, at least 14 BTRs fired at the left flank of the Kursk salient.
“Ten of them are destroyed or damaged and abandoned,” Kriegsforscher says.
Analyzing the Russian losses during this offensive, the agency writes that up to 10 soldiers can squeeze into 17-ton vehicles, meaning that “the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade could’ve lost 140 troops in total, although it’s likely at least a few escaped their burning BTRs.”
In turn, Kriegsforscher did not rule out further Russian offensives in the Kursk region.
“As I said before, [the] left flank and the center will be the hardest places in Kursk Oblast,” Kriegsforscher says.
Russian losses in Kursk region
The Ukrainian military has been holding a foothold in the Kursk region for several months. In late summer, it was reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces controlled 100 settlements and captured nearly 600 Russian soldiers.
At the end of October, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of the Kursk operation, Russia had lost 17,819 soldiers, both wounded and killed. Another 700 Russians were taken prisoner.
Recently, the Command of the Airborne Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that since the beginning of the operation in the Kursk region, Ukrainian paratroopers have inflicted losses on Russia of almost 8,000 soldiers. This is equal to 15 Russian battalions.
