Victory Chronicles-DAY 903

According to U.S. officials, Russia is reportedly pulling back some of its armed forces from Ukraine as a response to Ukraine’s offensive into Russian territory. 

This development is seen as the first indication that Kyiv’s operation in the Kursk region has caused Moscow to regroup its forces. While the exact number of troops being redeployed has not been disclosed, it aligns with Ukrainian officials’ claims that their surprise operation last week in Kursk drew Russian troops away from Ukraine. U.S. officials are still assessing the significance of Russia’s move. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that 74 settlements in the Kursk region of Russia are under the control of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Zelenskyy made this announcement on Facebook after a conversation with the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyy. Zelenskyy mentioned that he is in constant communication with Syrskyy and is updated on the situation at the front and the operations being carried out by the Armed Forces in the Kursk region. Despite heavy fighting, the Ukrainian forces are still advancing and the number of settlements under their control is increasing. Inspections and stabilization measures are being implemented in these settlements, and humanitarian solutions for the territories are being developed.

During the second week of Ukraine’s Defense Forces raid in the Kursk region of Russia, Ukrainian Pravda (UP) journalists visited the border in the Sumy Oblast to assess the situation. 

They were able to visit two points on the border – the checkpoint in the direction of Suzha and the outskirts of the village of Pokrovka, where the only operating crossing point between Ukraine and Russia, Pokrovka-Kolotylivka, was operational until a few weeks ago. The situation at these two points differs significantly. At the Suzha crossing, where the front line has been pushed deeper into Russia by at least 10 kilometers, the situation is calm, with occasional artillery fire from the Ukrainian side. The administrative buildings on the Ukrainian side have been heavily damaged, presumably due to shelling at the beginning of the invasion, while the Russian side’s administrative buildings have been completely destroyed and smashed. Ukrainian fighters informed UP that the Defense Forces destroyed the Russian crossing point and equipment at the start of the raid.

On August 13, a group of “Khartia” fighters successfully repelled an assault by the enemy in the Kharkiv Oblast of Ukraine. The enemy launched a tank attack consisting of two columns, each with six tanks. The “Khartia” fighters detected the assault and effectively defended their position, inflicting significant losses on the enemy. The first column of tanks failed to reach the front line of defense as the brigade fighters launched a powerful counterattack, destroying four tanks and damaging another. Ten enemy soldiers were killed and thirty were wounded in the engagement. It is worth noting that some of the tanks were destroyed by the FPV operators of the “Khartia”. The second column was met by units from the 92nd Brigade in the direction of Hlyboke. Overall, the “Khartia” fighters demonstrated confident and decisive action in repelling the assault and successfully neutralizing the occupants.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other senior Ukrainian officials provided updates about the ongoing Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast and outlined several Ukrainian objectives of the operations in the area. Zelensky stated on August 3 that Ukrainian forces “control” 74 localities in Kursk Oblast.

It is unclear if Zelensky meant that Ukrainian forces are operating in 74 settlements or if he was referring to another type of geographic administrative units. ISW has observed claims and geolocated footage indicating that Ukrainian forces are operating in or near roughly 41 settlements in Kursk Oblast as of August 13, although there are many extremely small settlements and localities within this area that ISW has not included in this count. Discrepancies between Ukrainian official reporting and ISW’s observed claims and geolocated footage are not a refutation of Ukrainian official reporting but rather are a result of the inherent limitations of ISW’s open-source methodology and commitment to using only publicly available information. ISW does not assess that Ukrainian forces control all of the territory within the maximalist extent of claimed Ukrainian advances according to the definition of “control” that ISW uses. Zelensky also stated that Ukrainian forces continue to advance in Kursk Oblast and grow Ukraine’s “exchange fund,” likely referring to Russian military personnel taken as prisoners of war (POWs).

Zelensky stated that Russian forces had conducted almost 2,100 artillery strikes from Kursk Oblast against Sumy Oblast since June 1, 2024, and that Ukraine’s operations into Kursk Oblast are intended to secure Ukraine’s borders from the Russian military. Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Spokesperson Heorhiy Tykhyi stated on August 13 that Ukraine is not interested in seizing territory in Kursk Oblast. Tykhyi stated that Ukraine needs to protect itself from Russian strikes and push Russian forces away from Russian border areas that Russia uses to strike Ukraine. Tykhyi also noted that Ukrainian operations into Kursk Oblast prevent the Russian military from transferring additional military units to Donetsk Oblast and complicate Russian military logistics.

Tykhyi emphasized that Ukraine is not violating international law and is within its rights to defend itself from Russian aggression, and US officials reiterated a similar sentiment on August 12 and 13. US National Security Spokesperson John Kirby and US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated on August 12 and 13 in response to questions about Russia’s reactions to Ukrainian operations in Kursk Oblast that Russia is conducting a war of aggression against Ukraine and that a quick solution to the Ukrainian incursion into Russia would be for Russian forces to leave Ukraine.

Defender Fedir Dvornik, with the call sign “Dym”, died on August 10, 2023, in the village of Mykolaivka, Chernihiv Oblast. He sustained multiple injuries to his body as a result of explosions.

Dmytro was 43 years old. He was born in Donetsk Oblast. He graduated from the Drohobych Training Center #40, where he received a degree in mechanic-repairman of the second category and painter-technologist. He lived with his family in the village of Skvariava, Lviv Oblast. In civilian life, he worked with cars, repairing and painting them.

During the full-scale war, the man defended Ukraine by joining the military unit A-4126. He held the position of a reconnaissance operator. He was awarded the Order “For Courage”, III class (posthumously).

“Fedia was a ‘walking encyclopedia’, he had many interests, including sports – mostly martial arts. He also loved music, and for a while he was a DJ. He also carved drawings on jewelry, made knives, and was interested in military subjects. He was a reliable friend, a comrade-in-arms, always cheerful, in a good mood, no matter what,” said his comrade-in-arms with the call sign Shaman.

The fighter was buried in the village of Skvariava. Fedir is survived by his wife Halyna, son Maksym and daughter Oleksandra.

*Fedir’s story on the Heroes Memorial – a platform for stories about the fallen defenders of Ukraine.

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