The border areas of the Kursk region are still the scenes of heavy fighting as a result of the Ukrainian incursion that began on Aug. 6. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed on Aug. 15 that Ukrainian forces had captured the town of Sudzha but the situation there appears to still be unsettled. “The troops of the offensive group continue to fight, and have advanced in some directions from one to three kilometers towards the enemy. Fighting continues along the entire front line. In general, the situation is under control,” Ukrainian military chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi reported to Zelenskyy on Friday night, Aug. 16 reported Interfax Ukraine.
The Russians, meanwhile, continue to report the “suppression” of the Ukrainian incursion. “Our situation is completely under control,” Maj. Gen. Apty Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces, told TASS this morning. “The enemy is trying to break through into our territory around the clock. All these attempts end with the elimination of the enemy and the burning of the equipment. That is why we are destroying the enemy’s reserves.”
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in an update this morning that Ukrainian casualties amounted to 3,160 troops.
The Ministry posted a video clip of an interview with a Ukrainian POW who said that the operation was planned with support of Western instructors. “They were the ones responsible for the operation. I met them on the battlefield,” he said. “They spoke foreign languages.”
Yesterday, local officials said that Ukrainian forces had destroyed a bridge over the Seim River in the Glushkovsky district, about 50 km west-northwest of Sudzha, cutting off the evacuation of civilians to the north. After the destruction of the bridge, Ukrainian forces began an advance towards Vichnevka, about halfway between Sudzha and Glushkovo. Avia.pro cites military correspondent Vladimir Romanov reporting that Ukrainian units had already advanced 1.5 km, which caused a direct clash with Russian troops.
