Russian defence ministryRussia’s defence ministry says its forces have recaptured 10 settlements seized by Ukrainian forces in a shock incursion in Russia’s Kursk border area final month.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia had begun “counter-offensive actions, which goes according to our Ukrainian plan”.
Russia mentioned its “Models of the North” forces had reclaimed the settlements over two days within the space round Snagost, on the western flank of the world occupied by Ukraine in its marketing campaign launched on 6 August.
The primary indication of a counteroffensive had come from Chechen particular forces commander, Maj Gen Apti Alaudinov, who mentioned six Ukrainian brigades had suffered heavy casualties.
A Ukrainian officer preventing within the Kursk area informed the BBC that the Russian counteroffensive had begun a long way to the west of Sudzha.
“The preventing may be very powerful and the scenario just isn’t in our favour as of now,” the officer mentioned on situation of anonymity.
Ukraine’s offensive was launched with the obvious purpose of distracting Russia from its push into japanese Ukraine. It now claims as much as 1,300 sq km (500 sq miles) of Russian territory.
Nonetheless, Russian forces continued to grab villages in japanese Ukraine and are closing in on the strategic city of Pokrovsk.
Analysts from the US-based Institute for the Examine of Conflict mentioned the scale, scale and potential prospects of the Russian counterattacks had been unclear and it was untimely to attract any conclusions.
One social media account linked to a Ukrainian brigade mentioned Russian forces had unexpectedly launched their assault close to Snagost and that the Ukrainians had been preventing again.
Russian army knowledgeable Anatoly Matviychuk informed the Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper that greater than 100 sq km of territory had been recaptured and “the enemy’s reserves, reinforcements, and logistical provides can now not attain Kursk area”.
Russia’s army was caught unexpectedly by the dimensions and depth of the Ukraine incursion into Kursk area early final month.
Though Moscow was shocked by the benefit with which Ukrainian forces seized cities and villages together with Sudzha, President Vladimir Putin mentioned nearly a month afterwards that they’d failed.
Ukrainian forces had tried to make Russia nervous – “to scurry, to ship troops from one space to a different and to cease our offensive in key areas, above all in Donbas” – he mentioned.
Not solely had it not labored, Putin argued that Ukraine’s offensive had merely helped Moscow’s “major goal”, which he recognized as capturing the Donbas – Ukraine’s industrial areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Sumy prosecutor’s workplaceRussian forces at the moment are just a few kilometres outdoors Pokrovsk and its adjoining city Myrnohrad and fierce preventing is reported on the approaches to the Pokrovsk.
An overpass between the 2 cities was destroyed in a single day into Thursday and the Donetsk regional head mentioned a water provide line to Pokrovsk had additionally been lower, though he mentioned the city had entry to a number of wells.
In the meantime, a Russian drone assault left 14 folks wounded within the northern Ukrainian city of Konotop, a key hub utilized by Kyiv for getting ready its Kursk marketing campaign.
Prosecutors within the Sumy border area posted pictures exhibiting broken condominium blocks within the city. Energy provides to Konotop had been down due to the strike and officers mentioned vitality infrastructure had been considerably broken.