Russia Building Trenches In Kursk To Defend Against Ukrainian Advances (2024)

In a sign that it is digging in to blunt Ukraine’s now nine-day-old invasion of Kursk Oblast, Russia is building trenches near the town of Lgov, about 30 miles north of the border, according to Maxar satellite imagery provided to The War Zone on Wednesday. The construction comes as Ukrainian forces are pushing their way northward from the area of territory they currently control.

Lgov is about 13 miles north of the most recently geolocated position of Ukrainian troop concentrations, according to imagery analyzed on Tuesday by the Institute for the Study of War. It is also about 15 miles to the west of the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant in Kurchetov. The trenches are being built parallel to the E38 highway, according to Maxar. That is a key east-west artery cutting across the middle of Kursk and connects Lgov to Kurchetov.

Maxar captured the images on Aug. 12. There aren’t any apparent additional fortifications associated with the trenches, which were constructed in the last week. However, it appears to be less extensive than the massive networks Russia was able to build up in the year leading to last year’s failed Ukrainian counteroffensive which played a big role in halting it. Given that Ukrainian forces are still a good distance away, the area is most likely not yet mined, but that can’t be assessed from the satellite images. However, should Ukraine reach this far, it will have control of a great deal more territory than it does now.

The trenches in Kursk are apparently part of a wider effort by Russia to fortify parts of its country and the territory it occupies in Ukraine.

With the ongoing trench construction, Russia is seeking workers to build them.

One company is offering up to 210,000 rubles ($2,350) per month, paid twice monthly. Free food, accommodations, overalls, and transportation will be provided.

“Before being sent to KURSK, you will need to work at our company’s facilities for 2 weeks! This internship is paid,” the company announced. “Sending to the Kursk region STRICTLY AT THE WISH OF THE EMPLOYEE, after the internship, you can stay to work at our facilities.”

The images surfaced as fighting continued to rage across a large swath of Kursk ranging from Kornevo to the west, Alekseevski in the north, and near Giri in the east, with both sides claiming the upper hand.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said that his invasion forces continued to capture territory and troops, the latter part of his goal to increase the number of prisoners that can be exchanged.

“We are advancing in the Kursk region, one to two kilometers in various areas since the beginning of the day,” he said in a message posted to social media. “We have captured more than 100 Russian servicemen during this period. I am grateful to everyone involved; this will accelerate the return of our guys and girls home.”

Speaking of prisoners, more video and images have emerged of Russians who have surrendered to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff also claimed to have downed a Russian Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber, however, they offered no proof. The War Zone could not independently verify the claim.

The Russian Defense Ministry continued to maintain it was thwarting the Ukrainian advance.

“Russian troops “continue to repel the [Armed Forces of Ukraine] AFU attempt to invade the territory of the Russian Federation,” it stated on Telegram. “Active actions of the Sever Group of Forces, Army Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and artillery strikes prevented enemy mobile armored groups from getting into the depth of the Russian Territory near Skrylevka, Levshinka, Semyonovka, Alekseevskii, and Kamyshnoye.”

The Russian MoD additionally claimed it “located and eliminated” two groups of Ukrainian troops in pickups near Martynovka.

“Six attacks launched by units of the AFU 115th Mechanised Brigade, 80th, and 82nd air assault brigades were repelled near Korenevo, Olgovka, Pogrebki, Russkoye Porechnoye, and Cherkesskoye Porechnoye,” the MoD added. “Losses were inflicted on the located manpower and hardware clusters of the AFU 22nd, 61st Mechanized brigades, 92nd Assault Brigade, and 1st Presidential Operational Brigade near Loknya, Kremyanoye, Oleshnya, Sverdlikovo, and Daryino.

Russia also released gun camera video of an attack on a column of vehicles. It reportedly turned out that it was a friendly fire incident, with Russian, not Ukrainian vehicles being hit.

As the invasion rolls on, Russia is rushing conscripts to Kursk, according to a new report by Radio Svaboda. The outlet spoke to mothers of conscripts and human rights defenders to find out the scope of the effort.

“Earlier this week, dozens of messages from relatives of Russian conscript soldiers began to appear on the Internet that the command plans to send them to the Kursk region, where the offensive of the Armed Forces continues,” the outlet reported. “They took the main blow of the [Armed Forces of Ukraine] at Sudzha on August 6-7 and were quickly taken into Ukrainian captivity. Now relatives of conscripts from other Russian regions have begun to report on the transfer – both already held and planned – to the Kursk region. They actively write about it in social networks, contact the media and ask for the help of human rights defenders.”

As we have frequently noted in the past, Russia has long turned to conscripts, mostly undertrained and ill-equipped, to bolster its invasion of Ukraine.

After losing hundreds of square miles of territory to Ukraine, Russia is facing a collapse of railroad systems in regions bordering Ukraine and Belarus, the Moscow Times reported.

“Due to the difficulties with the movement of trains, the Russian Railways stopped accepting trains from Belarus in the direction of the Kursk and Smolensk regions, the Community of Railway Workers of Belarus reports, citing sources in the industry,” the publication reported.

The invasion is causing problems for Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters after arriving in New Orleans on Tuesday.

“It’s creating a real dilemma for Putin,” he said in his first substantive comments about the operation. He added that he has been briefed every four to five hours for the last six to eight days on Ukraine’s action.

A large Ukrainian drone attack on Kursk was recorded in several videos. The location wasn’t specified and it is unclear what, if anything was damaged or destroyed. You can hear the mournful wail of the air raid sirens and the sound of explosions.

Speaking of drones, Ukrainian forces say they captured a complete Volnorez counter-drone electronic warfare jamming system near Kursk. They also reportedly found all the associated technical documents.

While both sides say they are inflicting losses, a Twitter user who works with the Oryx open-source tracking group has started keeping track of the military equipment destroyed, damaged and abandoned in Kursk.

So far, Ukraine has lost at least 13 infantry mobility vehicles to destruction and damage, eight armored fighting vehicles, and two anti-aircraft systems while Russia saw at least four tanks and 15 trucks destroyed. Like Oryx, @naalsio26 only tabulates losses for which there is visual confirmation. However, the losses on both sides could be much higher given the intensity of the fighting.

In an effort that is more psychological warfare than kinetic, Ukrainian troops have posted videos and images of them in several towns and villages in Kursk where they claim a presence. By posting these videos, Ukrainian forces are delivering a message that they are expanding the area they can enter and solidifying their hold on the towns they occupy.

In one such video, a soldier is seen running up to his comrades waiting in an SUV. He has no rifle but is holding a road sign he purloined.

“Lgov,” it said.

Lgov is about 13 miles north of Alekseevskii, the northern apex of Ukraine’s known advance.

It is unclear exactly where this video was taken but it most likely represents a hit-and-run visit there instead of a major incursion.

“Dear Lgovians, or Lgovians, whatever,” said the soldier, holding up the sign so it could be videoed. “You don’t need it anymore. I’ll give you a new one with a Ukrainian name. This is payback for my toilet.”

After the soldier spoke, his comrades urged him to get in their SUV so they could quickly leave.

It is impossible for The War Zone to independently verify these claims.

In a particularly snarky move, Ukrainian soldiers posted a review of a cafe in Sudzha.

Russia’s tricolor flag was removed by Ukrainian troops in the town of Vnezapnoe, about three miles north of the border and 20 miles west of Sudzha.

In another location, Ukrainian troops videoed themselves rifling through the captured command center of the 28th Rifle Battalion of the 60th Motorized Rifle Brigade.

Ukrainian troops also showed themselves going through a supermarket in Sudzha.

“In contrast to the barbaric looting of the Russians, everything happens in a civilized manner: in the carts and at the checkout, complete order is maintained, the goods are neatly arranged on the shelves,” Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov wrote on Telegram.

Video emerged of one of the residents of Plekhovo shouting “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine) to advancing Ukrainian troops

In a sign that its hold on Sudzha is solidifying, Ukraine invited journalists to visit. One report from there showed many destroyed Russian vehicles, but no damage to the town itself and no signs of any fighting.

Ukrainian forces delivered humanitarian aid, including food, drinks, and clothing to the locals, according to Ukrainian journalists.

Russian milbloggers meanwhile claim that Sudzha is still being contested.

“In the northern section of the wedge in Sudzhansky District, the situation is also unchanged,” Boris Rozin, who runs the Colonelcassad Telegram channel claimed. “Russian troops stopped the enemy near Kremyany and Kruglenkiy , and in the Malaya Lokni area, Russian troops captured several members of the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade and other enemy units. Fighting is underway in Sudzha and its environs, although the enemy claims full control over the city.”

The BBC produced a video showing the view from Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast, which has been a staging point for the invasion.

Ukrainian troops are facing increasing challenges communicating in Kursk, according to Germany’s Die Zeit news outlet.

“Working on Russian territory brings new challenges, especially in the sphere of communication,” reporter Olivia Kortas wrote in a tweet. “Starlink doesn’t work. The Ukrainians can use radios (or even Russian sim cards), but it makes them trackable. This leads to a limited knowledge of the territory ahead.”

Photos emerged on social media of Ukrainian mechanized reinforcements rolling across the border into Kursk.

U.S.-provided Humvees were also seen being operated by Ukrainians in Russia.

Ukrainian forces picked up some help along the way, but it appears to be another case of pure proper gander.

The longer Ukrainian troops stay on Russian soil, the more Moscow has to commit to the fight. How much this will affect the battle in the territory Russia occupies in Ukraine is still to be determined.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com