Russia fears Ukrainian advancement in Kursk, rushes to dig trenches – ISW

Ukrainian operations in the Kursk region have a tangible impact on defense, logistics, and security in the Russian Federation.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reports this.

According to military analysts, Ukrainian forces are still progressing in the Kursk region, although at a slower pace.

The Russian military is ramping up its efforts to secure the front line in this region, showing great concern over the potential advancement of Ukrainian troops.

Maxar's satellite images from August 12 reveal recently constructed field fortifications, including trenches and anti-tank ditches, southwest of Lgov on the E38 route connecting Lgov, Rylsk, and Glukhov.

New images, released on August 13 and collected between August 6 and 11, reveal recent fortifications along the 38K-024 route south of Lgov.

These new fortifications are located approximately 17 kilometers north of Ukrainian forces' most advanced declared position in the Kursk region. This shows that Russian troops are actively working to secure strategic areas and prevent Ukrainian troops' further advance to the north.

Analysts note that Russian forces are particularly concerned about the main highways used for troop supply and movement. The Russians are clearly trying to strengthen necessary communication landlines to impede Ukrainian maneuvers, especially along routes E38 and 38K.

The Ukrainian military operations in the Kursk region had a notable effect on the logistics of the Russian railway system. On August 13, the Belarusian railway workers' community announced that the state-owned Russian railway company "RZD" ceased all train movements from Belarusian stations to the Oryol-Kursk station on the Moscow railway branch, starting from August 12.

This decision is due to the "large-scale operational movement of troops in the direction of the Kursk region" and the intensive movement of military cargo trains.

ISW key findings as of August 14:

• Russian military bloggers claimed that Ukrainian forces marginally advanced in the Kursk region amid a generally slower tempo of Ukrainian operations as Russian troops continue attempts to stabilize the frontline in the area.
• Ukrainian officials continue to discuss ongoing Ukrainian operations in the Kursk region and offer their interpretations of the political impact that Ukraine may aim to generate.
• Ongoing Ukrainian operations in the Kursk region generate tangible defensive, logistical, and security impacts within Russia.
• The Russian government continues recruitment efforts to support operations in the Kursk region.
• Chechen Akhmat Special Forces Commander Apty Alaudinov seems to be posturing himself as the spokesperson for the Russian defense in the Kursk region. Still, his claims have consistently been false and largely contradict allegations made by relatively reliable Russian military bloggers.
• Ukrainian forces conducted a large series of drone strikes against Russian air bases in Russia on the night of August 13 to 14, damaging several airfields.
• Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party furthered a narrative echoing a Kremlin information operation meant to justify Russia's violence against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states formerly colonized by the Soviet Union and Russian Empire.
• Russian forces advanced north of Kharkiv City and southeast of Pokrovsk.

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It should be noted that the operation of Ukraine's armed forces in the Kursk region not only demonstrated the absence of "red lines" in the war with the Russian Federation but also confirmed Ukraine's strategy in the face of escalating conflict.