Russian forces have begun attacking Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region and have retaken some territory, pro-Moscow war bloggers and Ukrainian military analysts said on September 11.
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The attacks, which some sources characterized as a counteroffensive, are against the western flank of Ukrainian forces that took control of part of the Kursk region after launching a surprise incursion into Russian territory last month.
Ukrainian open-source intelligence resource DeepState said on Telegram that the Russian military "began active assault operations, ferrying armored vehicles first across the Sejm, and then across smaller rivers."
It said another blow took place in the town of Korenevo, which DeepState said was lost recently.
The same information has been shared by the Rybar channel, which is connected to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces fighting in Kursk, said that Russian troops had gone on the offensive and taken back control of about 10 settlements, TASS reported.
"The situation is good for us," said Alaudinov, according to TASS. "We continue to hold off and eliminate the enemy in our direction here. Enemy forces have sustained very heavy casualties and are coming to realize that it would be hard to hold this land," Alaudinov was quoted as saying.
Some Russian fighters claim to have restored Russian control over the village of Snagost and several other settlements, but this has yet to be independently confirmed.
The Ukrainian side has not reported a change in the situation in the Kursk region.
The Russian attacks have not threatened the city of Sudzha, which is central to the logistics of the Ukrainian group in the Kursk region. Sudzha is 40 kilometers from the village of Snagost.
Ukraine’s top military commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskiy, said last week that Russia was planning a new attack on Ukraine from the Kursk region before the start of the incursion.
Syrskiy said that he considered the incursion a success because it reduced the threat of Russia carrying out the attack and took the fight to the enemy.
“We moved the fighting to the enemy's territory so that he could feel what we feel every day," he said in an interview with CNN.
Kyiv claims to have seized control of more than 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory since its forces launched the incursion on August 6. According to Syrskiy, Moscow has transferred tens of thousands of troops to the region, including some of its best airborne assault units.
It was previously reported that the operation was aimed at improving Kyiv's position in the event of peace negotiations. Analysts also suggest that the operation is aimed at conveying to the Russians the seriousness of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.