Ukraine War, 22 August 2024
Hello everybody!
The situation in the south-west Kursk Oblast of the Russian Federation is getting clearer by day, and thus here another, even if ‘telegraphic’ update.
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Glushkovsky District…
On the western side, the Ukrainians have crossed the Seym and are either assaulting or raiding into Popovo-Lezhachi. Something like ‘northern suburb’ of Tetkino (that’s the ‘westernmost blue arrow on the map below). Indeed, some are claiming that the ZSU has already crossed the road to Karyzh, thus isolating Tetkino. No idea if that’s truth.
Further north and east along the Seym, it’s like always with ‘rivers and the Russian army’…or with rain and mushrooms. See: the VSRF is constructing another pontoon bridge every few kilometres…
NASA’s FIRMS ‘confirms’ something like ‘fire due to heavy shelling’ of one crossing site near the bend of the Seym in southern direction (see the map below), plus another one immediately west of the Karyzh Bridge.
Ukrainians claim to have hit the Karyzh Bridge - and that’s truth, but the damage was insufficient to drop it (see collage below): most likely, the Russians have deployed GPS-jammers to protect it.
The Zvannoe Bridge was rendered dysfunctional by earlier attacks (precisely: by a HAMMER or something of that kind deployed by MiG-29s or Su-27s of the PSU).
There are lots of videos of HIMARS-strikes on the two pontoon bridges the VSRF deployed in the Rzhava area (some 5km south of that place).
The Glushkovo Bridge was dropped.
There are lots of videos of HIMARS- and PGM-strikes on the two pontoon bridges the VSRF constructed near Kobylki. Considering the amount of equipment there, I doubt the Russians have completely abandoned this site.
Finally, there are no reports about hits on the pontoon bridge near Kekino.
South-east of Kekino… as reported days ago, the ZSU has secured Krasnooktybarskoe. (At least) Two days ago, the ZSU then pushed from there into Komarovka and on Sadovoye Tovarishchestvo. The former was infiltrated by infantry, the latter saw a company-sized mechanised attack. The former worked well and the ZSU is presently mopping up the place, but the latter failed with the loss of at least two tanks and several MRAPs knocked out. Several Ukrainian troops were captured too.
With this, the Russian line is now back to Serpovka - Sadovoye Tovarischestvo - 2-Ya Muzhitsa - Novoivanovka - Kulbaki - Sinyak - Border... I.e. leaning on the Sinyak River. I doubt the ZSU might try to punch through south of Novoivanovka, precisely because of that river. It's neither wide nor deep (except in areas where it's creating few lakes), but it's a water obstacle that needs engineering troops and equipment to cross: deploying these would attract both Russian UAVs and artillery, plus air strikes.
...which in turn is making things much easier for the Russians: as long as there's at last one operational bridge across the Seym, their 155th Naval Infantry 'only' needs to continue defending Savodoye Tovarishchestvo. And that place is in an open, flat valley, with 'nice', wide fields of fire (especially on its eastern approaches). With other words: that is not going to be easy.
The Russian hold on the Glushkovsky District was bolstered not only through the arrival of the 155th, perhaps some VDV too (as said the last two days, RUMINT has it that a part of the 98th VDV Division was withdrawn from the Bakhmut area to Kursk), but also because the VKS has deployed elements of its 5th Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade. Or at least one Buk M3 SAM-site in the area. Together with at least one powerful EW-station. Combined with the low number of US-made GBU-39s and GBU-62s, and French-made AGM-250s available, plus manned interceptors (MiG-31s and Su-35s) these are hindering a more effective deployment of the PSU's fighter-bombers. Indeed, yesterday afternoon, the 5th claimed a Su-27 as shot down.
…typically, all the possible of Pudding’s PRBS-industrialists promptly rushed to ‘correct’ this into a ‘MiG-29’. Not only because they are so super-smart, and know everything better but foremost because, as they say, ‘Ukrainian Su-27s are not equipped with PGMs’. ….while videos like the one showing the following scene are making circles for months already…
With other words: if the ZSU wants to ‘strangulate’ the VSRF troops in the Glushkovsky District, it will have to find the way to suppress that Buk SAM-site and the Russian electronic warfare systems, too.
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….now the map… or even I’m going to lose oversight over the following descriptions… Please mind: dispositions of mentioned Russian units are something like ‘best guess’. At least I’m receiving very contradicting reports in their regards. Similarly, ‘lack of arrows or positions’ in certain areas shouldn’t mean there’s ‘nobody there’. There is: it’s me who does not know who, nor where is the unit in question moving (or not at all).
Korenovo…
The ZSU is not in Tolpino, but in Kolychevka, and in north-eastern Korenovo, and thus having a fire-control over the road from Korenovo to Rylsk, but seems unable to cross it and reach the Seym north of the town: too many Russian FPVs there.
It's unclear if ZSU is (still?) in Alexandrovka, but it definitely has lots of presence in that area.
The Russians are trying to attack from Yuzhnyi in southern direction, to recover heights from which they've been kicked out.
The ZSU has secured two dominating hills in the Safonovka area (one 110m, the other 200 tall), and is raiding further north… not sure how far, though.
South of there, in the Sheptukhovka area, one or two parts of the 810th NIB might be encircled (or at least ‘isolated from their rear’). BTW, the last weekend's clash in the Kauchukovo area, where the ZSU mauled two battalions of the 810th, was not entirely one-sided: the Russians did manage to capture some 12-20 ZSU troops, knock out 1-2 MBTs, and some 5-6 other AFVs.
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Kromskie Byki…
This place is in a narrow valley between four hills. The ZSU is raiding both west and east of it, but I’m not sure how much firm control is it exercising there.
South of there, and thanks to incompetence of FSB’s generals, the ZSU is meanwhile in control of the entire stretch of the road down to Malaya Loknya - plus several villages east of it. Indeed, it seems to have surrounded/isolated another Russian unit in the Bakhtinka area.
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Cherkasskoe Porechnoe - Bolshoe Soldatskoe
Over the last four-five days, the ZSU pushed from Cherkasskoye Poretchnoe (under ZSU control) and secured Novosotnitskii, 2km west of Bolshoye Soldatskoye. The 200th ‘Arctic’ Motor-Rifle Brigade, VSRF, is trying to counterattack both north and south of that area - also because the Russian garrison in Rozgreli is cut off by the ZSU advance. Thus, a ‘meeting engagement’ is raging all over the area and down to Birukovka.
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East of Sudzha…
The strongest concentration of the Russian troops seems to be holding the hills between Biriukovka and Vorozhba. This is from where they're launching counterattacks on Martynovka, for example. This is where the appearance of the 2nd Spetsnaz Brigade has been reported, too (re-deployed from southern Zaporizhzhya, if my memory is serving me well). The Spetsnaz has already reported to have ambushed several Ukrainian supply trucks in between of this area and Sudzha - which is no surprise: for once, they’re actually doing their job.
Pushkarnoe and Russkaya Konopelka are under ZSU control, but I'm not sure if Ukrainians are even thinking about trying to push further east from there.
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Belayski District
There's now a ‘frontline’ along the northern side of Belitsa, along the Psel River, and down through Giri, then down to Peshanskii and Ozerki. This is where the Russians are trying half-hearted counterattacks, the Ukrainians are ambushing them, and then the Russians are shelling ‘suspected Ukrainain positions’ by their artillery.
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…and ‘that’s it’ for today. Sorry, busy with my work, and thus no time for more - although there are lots of news about air warfare. Hope to catch with them in the coming days.
Sadovoye Tovarishchestvo is called Glushkovo (just like the town nearby), sadovoye tovarishchestvo or SNT means an allotment for individual gardens, but is usually just a bunch of dachas.
Thanks Tom