Situation picture Ukraine Military column drives right in front of hidden Leopard tanks
Vladimir Putin is investing heavily to liberate Kursk and gain as much territory as possible before Donald Trump takes office. But the price is extremely high, as shown by an example from Donetsk as well as Kursk.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The situation highlights two focal points: The battle for Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast and the Russian offensive in Kursk.
- In the video: Near Kurakhove, a Western tank has allegedly destroyed a Russian one for the first time.
- The Russian army has five attack vectors in the area: it had already entered the city but was driven out.
- In Kursk, there was a devastating attack attempt by Russian and North Korean soldiers on the village of Malaya Loknya.
- Four experienced Ukrainian units were able to defend the village.
- The Kremlin is applying a lot of pressure and deploying many men, but the losses are too high for the relatively small amount of space gained.
It is allegedly the first time that a Western tank has destroyed one of Vladimir Putin's battle tanks: a Russian military column approaches the village of Dalnje. It lies three kilometers south of the embattled town of Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast.
Moscow's men don't know what to expect: Two Leopard 2A4s from the 33rd Brigade are hidden outside the village, waiting for the enemy. With their 120-millimeter shells, they take the convoy, which consists of six to seven vehicles, under fire.
The drone unit Sine Metu - Latin for without fear - published the video on Telegram on November 13. The Ukrainians claim to have taken out 47 soldiers, two tanks, three armored vehicles, an armored personnel carrier and a motorcycle.
The environment: the fierce battle for Kurakhove
The situation in the area is tense: According to Reporting from Ukraine, a third of all Russian frontline attacks take place there. The advances are therefore divided into five directions: Kurakhove is being attacked directly (1), attempts are being made to bypass the town to the south (2) or to attack along the Mokri Jaly river with its many villages (3).
The following picture shows very clearly what attack vectors 4 and 5 are intended to achieve: the attacks from the south to the north push the front towards the N-15 highway, which leads to Zaporizhzhya. It is the supply route for Kurakhove, without which the town can hardly be held in view of the approaching wet weather and the silting up of the ground.
In Kurakhove itself, Russian soldiers were initially able to move into the suburbs, but were then driven out (1). Advances on the attack vectors (2) and (3) also remain unsuccessful. The attack from the south, on the other hand, paid off.
Near the town of Kostyantynivka, which lies right at the beginning of the string of pearls of villages (3), the Ukrainians are able to destroy a very rare BMPT Terminator armored support vehicle.
Kursk: More men - more losses
A second focus of the Kremlin is the recapture of the occupied territories in Kursk Oblast. Although Russia is said to have assembled 50,000 soldiers here, the troops are new recruits and reportedly have little experience. It includes North Koreans who are already involved in battles with the Ukrainian army.
A costly attack by the Russian army on Malaya Loknya fits into this picture: the attackers are approaching the village via one road each from the north and west. If they capture it, the Ukrainian troops in the north-west of Malaya Loknya would be trapped at the same time.
However, the defenders have anticipated this move - with the 47th Mechanized Brigade, the 82nd Airmobile Brigade, the 17th Mechanized Brigade and the 80th Airmobile Brigade, there are also particularly experienced units on the ground, Reporting from Ukraine knows. They have mined the roads with drones.
Massive losses
15 BTR personnel carriers with a total of 150 soldiers are advancing from the north. Even before they reach the first village on the way, mines blow up five of the vehicles. Nine more are then fought around Pogrebki with drones, mines and RPGs. Even the last BTR is destroyed.
North Korean weapons are later discovered among the wreckage. The Ukrainians await the attack from the west with their mechanized units: Tanks reportedly rub up the attackers without any losses.
The consequences for the Russian army are devastating. This applies to the material ...
... as well as for the people.
More pressure, more men, more casualties: Putin is paying for his current offensive. Not only in Kursk, but also in Kharkiv ...
... or even in Donetsk. The background to the alleged mass grave for Russian soldiers - see below: The Kremlin does not have to pay for missing persons.
The fact that the Russian army has major personnel problems is shown not least by the deployment of the North Koreans. But the other side is not faring any better: Kiev is also finding it difficult to muster new recruits.
