Ukrainian Forces Make Major Gains Inside Russia On Day Three Of Kursk Invasion (Updated) (2024)

Ukraine’s invasion ofRussia’s Kursk region, now in its third day, appears to be gaining steam. A source with direct knowledge of the operation told The War Zone that at least 2,000 Ukrainian troops have been deployed with more pouring in every day.

While the Russian Defense Ministry continues to maintain that its troops are holding the line against this offensive, some Russian military war correspondents say Ukrainian forces are fighting 20 miles north of the border, digging in at some locations and building up a logistics network to maintain the flow of personnel and equipment.

More video emerged of Ukrainian forces inside Kursk in vehicles bearing the distinctive white triangle, a symbol for this operation.

Both sides are getting outside help, with former Wagner Private Military Company fighters aiding the Russians and Georgian Legion forces volunteering with Ukraine.

Meanwhile, as the invasion continues, the Pentagon wants to know more about its objectives, a spokesman told The War Zone Thursday morning.

Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, the Russian MoD said they have the situation under control.

“Units of the Sever Group of Forces along with units of the Russian Federal Security Service continue to eliminate armed AFU formations in Sudzha and Korenevo districts of Kursk region immediately adjacent to the border between Russia and Ukraine,” the Russian MoD claimed on Telegram Thursday.

“Over the 24 hours, active actions of the State Border Covering Force along with border units, reinforcement units and arrived reserves, air and missile strikes, and artillery fire prevented the enemy from advancing. Fire damage is inflicted on the located [Armed Forces of Ukraine] manpower and hardware clusters. Attempts of separate units to get to the depth of territories in Kursk direction were foiled.”

The MoD also claimed that Ukraine has lost hundreds of troops and scores of vehicles, including eight tanks. In addition, they say they continue to hit marshaling areas in Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast to blunt the incursion. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has yet to comment on the Kursk push. However, it did acknowledge that Russia has “stepped up the use of aviation in the border areas of Sumy region. At present, 16 aviation strikes are known with the use of 23 controlled aviation bombs” on Thursday alone.

Ukraine has yet to directly comment on the Kursk invasion, however, President Volodymyr Zelensky teased the effort in praising his troops.

“Everyone sees the Ukrainian army knows how to surprise and knows how to achieve battlefield results,” he said.

One of Zelensky’s top aids also hinted about it, suggesting that how Russians react to it will test how much opposition to the ongoing war there is inside that country.

“Events in Kursk or Belgorod provide an opportunity for a real-life test,” said Mikhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “While Russia’s oppressive machine smolders, liberated Russians could greet anti-Putin tanks with flowers, signaling ‘finally, freedom!’ We await such scenes, although their likelihood is already deemed impossible.“

As the Kursk incursion steadily grows, Ukraine continues attacking neighboring Belgorod Oblast in Russia.

The Khorne Group, a unit of Ukraine’s 116th Mechanized Brigade, expressed surprise at how quickly the incursion is advancing. It posted a video purporting to show Ukrainian equipment moving through Kursk Oblast.

“Our vehicles are moving on Russian soil like it’s our homeland,” the unit said on Telegram. “We will turn it to Ukrainian soil soon!”

Ukraine has secured enough territory that its helicopters were seen flying in Kursk, normally something that would be unlikely for normal operations given how vulnerable they are to air defense systems.

Russian milbloggers continue to paint far more dour pictures than the Kremlin of what’s happening in Kursk. The War Zone cannot independently verify any of these claims, however many generally line up with what our source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational details, told us.

“The enemy has brought fresh forces into battle and is trying to break through in the direction of Lgov today,” wrote Yuri Podolyaka, a popular Ukrainian-born pro-Russian military blogger on Telegram. Lgov is about 30 miles north of the border.

Podlyaka added that “what initially looked like reconnaissance in force, by the second half of the day turned into a full-fledged battle in the area of ​​the settlement of Ivnitsa, where the enemy’s mobile armored group has consolidated its position. The fighting has shifted to the next village of Kromskie Byki. This is already less than 30 km as the crow flies to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.”

Kromskie Byki is about 20 miles north of the border and about five miles north of Ivnitsa.

“Reinforcements are moving towards the enemy along the route from Sudzha, and our drone operators are striking them with kamikaze drones,” Podolyaka claimed. “Also, having pulled up reserves, the enemy began to clear the formed ‘pocket’ southwest of Korenevo between the border and the Seim River in order to secure the left flank of its offensive on Rylsk, the right flank of which was provided by enemy forces fighting in the Kromskie Byki area.”

In Sudzha, about seven miles north of the border, “the enemy is actively using armored vehicles against units of the Russian Armed Forces, which it brought into the breakthrough zone last night,” the Russian war correspondent Kotenok Telegram channel wrote. “Under the cover of electronic warfare systems that exclude the use of loitering munitions, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are moving forward to direct fire, firing at our positions.”

Ukrainian troops are now digging in and building up their logistics pipeline, Kotenok explained.

“According to my information, the enemy has begun to build fortifications [they have begun to dig trenches, dugouts and [defensive structures known as]caponiers for equipment in full profile on the territory of the Russian Federation in the Kursk region,” he wrote. “In particular, in the area of ​​the regional center of Sudzha, platoon/company strongholds are being deployed for small groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces with 2-3 units of armored vehicles. The manpower of the Ukrainian Nazis is located in residential buildings, where positions and temporary accommodation points for personnel are being equipped.”

Kotenek said Ukraine is pumping reinforcements into Kursk.

“The enemy continues to transfer infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, tanks and armored vehicles, including those made in the USA, to the territory of the Russian Federation from the adjacent territory.”

Sudzha “is lost for us as a whole,” the Native Sudzha Telegram channel wrote. “And this is a vital logistics hub. And the enemy is trying to play this advantage. From Sudzha there is also a road to the north, to Lgov. Along which he is also trying to advance.”

“In general, the situation is difficult and continues to worsen, despite the fact that the pace of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ advance has noticeably slowed,” Native Sudzha wrote. “But this is a consequence of the fact that only the 22nd brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is advancing, and the ‘expansion of success’ reserves have not yet entered the battle.”

One resident complained that a Ukrainian flag is now flying atop the city administration building.

As the offensive progresses, Russian citizens in the region continue to flee.

New imagery emerged from the early stages of the battle, showing Ukrainian forces pummeling the Sudzha border crossing with first-person view drones, forcing about 40 border guards to surrender.

“The outnumbered border guards fought for as long as they could, sustaining heavy casualties,” Native Sudzha Telegram explained.

They “fought to the death in the Sudzhen commandant’s office with two dozen AKs and two PKs against the [Ukrainians] on tanks and Bradleys, because there was no order from Moscow to retreat,” Native Sudzha said. “Today will also be a difficult day. Keep your fingers crossed and pray for the guys.”

Russia is trying to beef up its forces in the area by convincing experienced drone operators from the Zaporizhia region to join the fight.

They are being offered 220,000 rubles (about $2,500) per month to come to Kursk and will have drones provided for them, according to the Russian Thirteenth Telegram channel.

In addition to Russian and Ukrainian forces, Wagner and the Georgian Legion have joined the fray.

“Today, the PMC “WAGNER” arrived on the scene, right now they are driving these pigs out of the country, who rape and kill CIVILIANS!” the Wagner-connected War Gonzo Telegram channel wrote. “Ukraine deserves to be destroyed and right now I am personally proving it! I am in the combat zone and reporting live. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING! FOR OUR PEOPLE, YOU SON OF BITCHES!!! AND IT WILL BE THE SAME WITH EVERY SCUM!”

The Georgian Legion, a group of volunteers from that country, has about 120 fighters aiding Ukraine, said the source with direct knowledge of ongoing operations in Kursk.

Some Russian Telegram channels continue to complain that Moscow failed to see the invasion build up and reacted slowly once Ukrainian troops were there.

“The reports from the Kursk tactical direction and the North group of forces about problems, about the enemy pulling up forces and preparing to strike with the aim of cutting off Belgorod from the north, were ignored against the backdrop of euphoria,” the Kremlin-connected Rybar Telegram channel chided. “All this once again confirms that after 2.5 years of the [Special Military Operation], the planning and development of combat operations in the Russian Army works at the operational-tactical level at most. Unfortunately, despite all the efforts of great wise men and the ‘school’ of the General Staff Academy, they were unable to hammer anything more into the heads of our domestic ‘red commanders.’”

As all this unfolds, the Pentagon maintains support for Ukraine but wants to know more about the goals of this operation.

“The Pentagon regularly engages in discussions with Ukraine regarding a range of security and operational matters,” a Pentagon spokesman told The War Zone. “However, I cannot provide specific details about any discussions related to the recent events in Kursk.”

Asked about whether the U.S. is providing Ukraine with intelligence or other capabilities for this operation, the spokesman said “the United States continues to support Ukraine with various forms of assistance, including intelligence sharing, to aid in their defense efforts. While I can’t comment on the specifics of intelligence support, our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains steadfast.”

The Pentagon spokesman added, is “also reaching out to the Ukrainian military to learn more about their objectives for this specific operation and I’ll leave it there.”

Yesterday, we noted that video emerged of Bradley Fighting Vehicles in Kursk. Asked about the use of U.S. equipment inside Russia, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters on Thursday that Ukraine has the right to use U.S. equipment in Russia.

“It is consistent with our policy, and we have supported Ukraine from the very beginning to defend themselves against attacks that are coming across the border and for the need for crossfires,” Singh said. “So they are taking actions to protect themselves from attacks that are coming from a region that are within the US policy of where they can operate.”

As for specifics, she deferred questions to Ukraine.

“You know, our weapons, our systems, our capabilities, in terms of this actual operation that’s ongoing, I’d refer you to the Ukrainians to speak more to that.”

Singh added that Ukraine is still not allowed to conduct “deep operations” into Russia.

Ukraine is also reportedly using German armor in this attack, according to the German Bild news outlet.

As we noted earlier, one of the goals could be to force Russia to pull troops out of the land they occupy in Ukraine.

That’s something our source with direct knowledge of the operations confirmed.

“The goal is to deconcentrate Russian forces,” said the source, adding that there is no planned end to this invasion.

“We will go as far as our logistics take us,” he posited.

Using this incident as a bargaining chip for any sort of peace negotiation, or pressure towards those ends, is also a possibility. The idea that Ukraine has successfully pushed relatively deep into Russian territory with a regular force and has persisted there is clearly a massive propaganda and psychological warfare win.

As for how long this lasts and how such a bold but risky operation will be viewed internally by Ukrainians at a time when the country is struggling to hold the lines within its own borders, time will tell.

Update: 6:17 PM Eastern –

Ukrainian officials “are now requesting that the U.S. to allow them to use long-range [Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) short-range ballistic missiles] to hit airfields that Russia is using to retaliate against them — a policy decision Kyiv believes will allow it to retain a portion of Kursk Oblast,” The Washington Post reported.

Update: 6:56 PM Eastern –

Video is emerging on social media purporting to be a strike by U.S.-donated M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS on a Russian military column in the Ryslk District of Kursk. That’s about 20 miles due east of Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast. The Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) munitions have a range of up to 50 miles.

“A Russian military column was destroyed on the march by a strike from Ukrainian HIMARS missiles near the village of Oktyabrskoye in the Rylsky District of the Kursk People’s Republic,” Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov wrote on Telegram. “The video was distributed by Russian news channels. The highway is completely blocked by burning cars, and frequent detonations of ammunition can be heard. Masterful work by Ukrainian intelligence deep behind Putin’s troops and the most accurate salvos of Ukrainian missilemen. Good luck!”

The Russian Readovka news outlet, which first posted the video, said on Telegram that it was taken from the vantage point of motorists who came upon the scene but could not pass because the roadway was blocked.

“Before the fire, residents of the Rylsky district heard several loud explosions,” Readovka reported.

A resident of the Kursk region complained bitterly about the Ukrainian invasion and wondered by Putin wasn’t doing more to help.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com