Russia continues to support the Kursk front to deal with the Ukrainian offensive, regaining part of the territory. However, Moscow seems to still prioritize its forces for the battle in eastern Ukraine.
According to a report by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), as of August 29, the Ukrainian army continued to advance north of the town of Sudzha, in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Meanwhile, Russia appeared to have regained control of the settlements of Ulanok and Korenevo.
Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov said on August 29 that a volunteer armed unit called BARS-Kursk has been established to ensure security in the region.
The unit “will become an important link in maintaining law and order in the Kursk region” after undergoing military training and will cooperate closely with the Russian military.
“The volunteer unit’s tasks include not only ensuring security, but also participating in providing life support to resettlement areas to support the remaining people in this difficult time,” said Mr. Smirnov.
When Ukraine launched its assault on Kursk on August 6, Russia lacked combat-ready reserves to reinforce its relatively thin defenses at Kursk.
One of the first units Russia sent to Kursk was the 9th Motor Rifle Regiment, which was resting in Kursk after rotating out of the battlefield north of Kharkov, northeastern Ukraine.
In the following days and weeks, Russia redeployed numerous naval infantry, motorized rifle, airborne assault and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), along with volunteer units.
According to estimates by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, as of August 27, Russia had mobilized about 30,000 troops to Kursk. “Russia is trying to establish a defensive ring around the Ukrainian attack group while planning further counter-attacks,” Syrskyi said.
However, according to ISW, the establishment of a defense unit like BARS-Kursk shows that Russia seems to still prioritize its forces on the eastern Ukrainian front to avoid the risk of disrupting Russia’s offensive operations in Donbass.
Moscow’s current response is believed to be focused on stopping Ukraine’s advance in Kursk rather than pushing Ukrainian forces back completely to the border at this point.
“The creation of these new volunteer formations fits into the Kremlin’s apparent strategy of avoiding redeploying experienced or combat-effective units fighting in Pokrovsk or Toretsk to Kursk for fear that the advance might slow down in these more priority directions,” ISW commented.
Russia has largely rotated its forces from Kharkov and Chasiv Yar to Kursk. It has also withdrawn troops from training areas in neighboring Russian regions and in Ukraine that Moscow controls. In addition, Russia has deployed conscripts from units across the country to perform tasks such as guarding secondary defenses, digging trenches, or performing other functions.
Organizing command and control of these mixed units is no small challenge for Russia.
