The operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region caused operational pressure on the Russian army in every sector of hostilities. Because of this, the Kremlin probably redeployed reserve units from the Pokrovsky direction to Kurshchyna.
What troops did the Russian Federation transfer to Kurshchyna
Russian sources, including users of social networks, reported on August 14 and 17 that at least a company of the 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the Russian Federation (2nd Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District) was redeployed to the Kursk Region from the direction of Pokrovsky.
In addition, some Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that unspecified units of this brigade were also transferred to the Kursk region.
ISW received information that parts of this brigade were operating east of Pokrovsk in mid-August and continue to do so to this day.
The OSINT organization Evocation.info said on August 19 that Russia also redeployed units of the 1st "Slavyansk" motorized rifle brigade (1st Army Corps "DPR") from the Donetsk direction to the Kursk region.
ISW found no evidence that these redeployed units had previously participated in combat operations on the front line of the Toretsky or Pokrovsky directions, which are a priority for Russia. Probably, these units were used as reserves, and the Russian command planned to use them to strengthen forces in these directions and to avoid the risk of premature termination of the operation.
Analysts of the Institute point out that the decision to transfer limited units to the Kursk region, instead of participating in the operations to capture Pokrovsk or Toretsk, shows that the Russian command cannot completely isolate its priority offensive operations in the Donetsk region from the need for additional manpower.
ISW notes that the Russian command is currently avoiding the redeployment of troops planned to participate in offensive operations in the Toretsk or Pokrovsky directions for defense in the Kursk region. Mainly, forces are withdrawn from less important directions, such as the north of Kharkiv region, the line Kupyansk — Svatov — Kreminna, and the west of Zaporizhzhya region.
According to the Institute's analysts, the redeployment of limited units of the 15th and 1st motorized rifle brigades will not immediately affect the combat situation in the Pokrovsky or Toretsk directions, but further similar movements can be expected.
Defense forces of Ukraine advanced 2 kilometers in Kurshchyna
The offensive operation continues in the Kursk direction. During the day, our troops advanced up to two kilometers in separate directions.
This was reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi during a meeting of the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
In the Kursk region, Ukrainian troops have taken control of another five square kilometers of territory, said Sirskyi.
As President Volodymyr Zelenskyi noted, the Ukrainian military replenishes the exchange fund during the operation in the Kursk region. He emphasized that this is important for strengthening Ukraine's position in the prisoner exchange process .
