Russian troops get caught in “kill zone” in Kursk Oblast， suffering heavy losses false information from commanders may have been a factor， as the Russians entered the zone without removing mines left by Ukrainian troops．
It has been a week since Russian forces launched a new counteroffensive to eliminate a salient of about 650 square kilometers held by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk Oblast in western Russia. While the Russian military has suffered heavy casualties, it has so far achieved few notable results. Russian forces recaptured the village of Pogrebki at the northern end of the salient. But that will be little consolation to the hundreds of Russian soldiers who lost their lives in a failed assault on the northwestern perimeter of the salient. For Russia, there are two problems. One reason is that there are only a limited number of roads entering the protrusion from the north or west. Russian forces have been repelled along these roads in the past, yet continue to attack along the same roads every day. Another is that Russian commanders appear to have in some cases not provided their troops with accurate information about the disposition of Ukrainian troops within the salient. This means that Russian attacks have become predictable and blind. This would obviously result in huge losses. By the 13th, Ukrainian military drone pilot Kriegsforcher, who is supporting the defense of Kursk Oblast, had confirmed damage to 88 Russian military vehicles. The remains of the vehicles appear to be lying on or near three major roads that run through the area of Zelyany Shulyakh, a settlement in the mid-zone of the northwestern flank of the salient. Eleven of the vehicles were lost on the 13th to the Russian Army’s 51st Guards Airborne Regiment, 155th Separate Guards Naval Infantry Brigade, 83rd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, and 810th Separate Naval Infantry Brigade. There is no doubt that the damage will continue to increase in the future. Kriegsforcher said the Russians “attack every day in AFVs (armored fighting vehicles).” Usually it’s four to six vehicles per attack.” Ukrainian troops including the 17th Separate Heavy Mechanized Brigade, the 41st and 47th Separate Mechanized Brigades, and the 95th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade are engaging Russian forces with mines, artillery, missiles, drones and tanks. The fighting on the 9th was reportedly very close and chaotic, with Kriegsforcher reporting that at times, two Ukrainian tanks and four Russian armored vehicles passed each other closely without noticing each other. Kriegsforcher explained that the Ukrainian tanks only became aware of their presence once the Russian vehicles had unloaded 15 assault soldiers, destroying one of them. ■Military blogger criticizes local command for lying again. It is possible that the crew of these Russian military vehicles were acting based on inaccurate information. Consider the attack by the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade around Pogrebki on the 7th. Drone footage showed several of the brigade’s BTR-82 armored personnel carriers being blown up at close range by Ukrainian troops holed up in the trenches. According to an introduction and translation by Estonian analyst wartranslated, Russian military blogger Romanov criticized the footage, saying, “What we see in the video is the result of another lie by the local command to the General Staff.” Commanders of the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade had reportedly told their superiors that the Russians were in control of the road through Pogrebki. “After receiving this information, the General Staff naturally ordered an assault on the village,” Romanov wrote. In reality, the Russians did not control the road. Mines laid by Ukrainian forces remained, but according to Romanov, no one from the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade made any attempt to clear them before sending in the BTRs. These problems are systemic for the 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, if not other nearby units. Romanov said the brigade’s headquarters “has made a habit of deliberately sending false information to the General Staff.” *Continue reading in the source.
>>1 Forbes Japan publisher and editor-in-chief Takano Makoto (former Goldman Sachs) is spewing fake news from David Axe (a self-proclaimed military blogger) on a daily basis. I hope he will be able to send hell to Forbes Japan.
Russia’s daily war death toll exceeded 1900. Around this time last year, it was reported that even 1000 was an awful lot. So of course if you use human wave tactics to force your way into a place where you’re lying in wait, there will be a lot of dead people. And the ones charging at Kursk right now are North Korean soldiers, so Russia doesn’t really care if they die. So of course they’re going to be treated roughly.
>>65 The defender has the advantage – a medieval value In modern warfare, the attacker has the advantage over the defender because they can fire away with long-range weapons.
Comments