Ukrainian artillery hits Russian military convoy
Slowly but surely, the Russian military is organizing the defense of the Kursk region. However, it seems to be experiencing an early setback: Ukrainian artillery has struck a Russian military convoy. Vehicles are burning, and there appear to be many casualties.
In the fighting in the Russian region of Kursk, a Ukrainian artillery strike is believed to have hit a Russian military column east of the town of Rylsk. Local residents made unverifiable recordings of burning military equipment overnight on Thursday and shared them on social media. Several impacts were reported. There are speculations in social media that a HIMARS attack could be responsible. In a video taken in the morning, which is said to show the aftermath of this incident, a dozen or so partly burned military trucks can be seen. There also appear to be many casualties. On the loading platforms of some transporters, injured or even dead soldiers seem to be lying.
Already on Thursday, a video appeared on social media showing a very long column of vehicles and Russian soldiers. Whether it is the column that was hit by the Ukrainian troops is not clear. Notably, the majority of the vehicles appear to be private cars. Only a few of the vehicles seem to belong to the military - usually they are transporters. One or two artillery guns are visible, but there are no armored vehicles.
The fact that the suspected hit convoy appears east of Rylsk is not a coincidence. Given the current direction of the Ukrainian troops, the 15,000-inhabitant town is threatened. According to current knowledge, Kyiv's troops are currently fighting around 30 kilometers south of the village of Korenewo. The Russian military convoy was probably supposed to be brought into position against the Ukrainian troops. After the Ukrainian surprise attack in the Kursk region on Tuesday, the organization of the counterattack took a very long time. This may also be due to the fact that the Russian Ministry of Defense initially greatly underestimated it and played down the consequences. However, as the Ukrainian troops advanced deeper into Russian territory, action had to be taken.
What is the offensive targeting?
Currently, there are two main directions of Kyiv's troops. One is heading north or northwest - via Korenewo towards Rylsk. The second is heading northeast. It is speculated that the Ukrainian troops may be trying to reach the namesake city of Kursk. Nearby, there is, among other things, a nuclear power plant. However, the motives for the offensive on Russian territory remain nebulous. Kyiv itself makes almost no statements about this. Western experts only speculate about what the goals could be.
One consideration is to occupy the nuclear power plant in the region to exchange it for the one occupied by Russian troops in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine. However, the Kursk nuclear power plant is located around 80 kilometers behind the border. The Ukrainian troops would have to advance much further into Russian territory. Western experts doubt whether the troops and military equipment would be sufficient for this.
Another consideration is the notion of occupying Russian territory to exchange it for Ukrainian territory currently held by Russia. Another potential goal of Kyiv could be to force Russia to withdraw troops from other regions of Ukraine to defend its own territory, potentially improving the situation for Ukrainian defenders, for instance, in the Donbass. So far, it is a fact that Ukrainian troops are not holding their ground but continue to advance in the Kursk region. Russian resistance appears to be sporadic. Moreover, Moscow does not seem to be relying on regular troops with tanks or armored troop transports yet. Instead, evacuations in the Kursk region continue, with tens of thousands of people reportedly brought to safety.
Following the Ukrainian artillery strike on a Russian military convoy, there have been allegations on social media that a HIMARS system was used in the attack. The impact reportedly caused numerous casualties and damage to several military vehicles east of Rylsk. (The attack on Ukrainian artillery struck a Russian military convoy)
As the Ukrainian troops continue to advance in the Kursk region, Russian resistance seems to be weaker, with Moscow primarily relying on evacuations to protect its citizens instead of deploying regular troops. (Russian resistance appears to be sporadic, Moscow does not seem to be relying on regular troops)
