Russian forces have begun a significant counter offensive against Ukrainian troops who
smashed their way into western Russia last month, and have taken some territory back, pro-Moscow war bloggers said.
Ukraine on Aug. 6 launched the biggest foreign attack on Russia since World War Two, bursting through the border into the region of Kursk with thousands of troops supported by swarms of drones and heavy weaponry, including Western made arms.
Yuri Podolyaka, an Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, and two other influential bloggers – Rybar and the Two Majors – said that Russian forces had begun a significant
counter-offensive in Kursk.
“In the Kursk region, the Russian Army launched counter-offensive actions on the western flank of the enemy’s wedge, reducing the Ukrainian zone of control near the state
border,” the Two Majors blog said.
Podolyaka said that Russian forces had taken several villages on the west of the sliver of Russia that Ukraine carved out, pushing Ukrainian forces to the east of the Malaya Loknya
River south of Snagost.
Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield reports due to reporting restrictions on both sides of the war.
Russian defence ministry reports about the fighting gave little information. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Whichever say the Russian counteroffensive goes, there seems little doubt that Kyiv scored a psychological victory by storming into Kursk over a month ago. Never in recent history has a foreign power transgressed into Russian territory.
Hundreds of Russian lives have been lost, many taken prisoner, weapons and equipment destroyed and the Ukrainian buffer in Kursk continues to hold. It has also underscored Kyiv’s ability to plan, assemble and carry out an attack of this kind using fast moving infantry and armour backed by drones.
But it’s not clear if one of the aims of the operation, to get Russia to pull out some of its forces from Ukraine, has been achieved.
With Reuters inputs
