Ukraine launches incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast using conventional methods – Estonian General Staff

The General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces has noted in its report that the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast was carried out using conventional methods.

As reported by ERR, the Estonian General Staff's report states that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Kursk operation was conducted using conventional methods: early in the morning, supported by artillery fire and electronic warfare to reduce risks for their units. 

Open sources say that approximately 800-900 square kilometres of Kursk Oblast territory are under Ukrainian control as of 22 August as a result of these actions. 

Estonian military officials note that Russia continues to redeploy its units to Kursk Oblast. The main focus is on motorised infantry units that are being redeployed from less active frontline areas.

Open source data indicates that subunits of the same unit can be located in both the Kursk and Kharkiv fronts.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine continue to hold the initiative in Kursk Oblast and are actively destroying and capturing Russian units, the Estonian General Staff says.

Whenever possible, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are cutting off supply routes. For example, the third bridge over the Seym River, which connects Rylsk, Kurschatov and Kursk, has been destroyed. This complicates the manoeuvring of Russian forces and creates a natural obstacle for protecting the flanks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The report emphasises that on other areas of the frontline, Russia retains the initiative.

On the Donetsk front, the Russians continue to advance westward and are approximately 11 kilometres from the settlement of Pokrovsk, which is one of the potential targets. The advancement over the past week has been between 2 and 4 kilometres.

It is also likely that the Russians have entered the outskirts of the settlement of Toretsk, located south of Chasiv Yar.

Media reports indicate American officials are concerned that if Ukraine continues its operation in Kursk Oblast, its forces could be overextended.

UK Defence Intelligence, for its part, believes that Russia is using troops in Kursk Oblast whose personnel are not deployed as intended, which could reduce Russia's ability to regain territory occupied by Ukrainian forces.