A Chechen commander alleged that Russia retook several settlements in Kursk Oblast amid unconfirmed claims from Sept. 11 that Russia launched a counterattack in the region from the west.
Ukraine has not commented on the claims, which cannot be independently verified. If confirmed, this could present a serious challenge to Ukrainian forces that have been holding parts of Kursk Oblast since the start of the cross-border incursion on Aug. 6.
"As far as I know, (Russian soldiers) have already recaptured several settlements" of Kursk Oblast, commander of the Akhmat unit Apti Alaudinov claimed on his Telegram channel. According to the commander, Russia has deployed the 155th Marine Brigade for the task.
Alaudinov alleged that Russian forces broke into the Snagost settlement, which lies at the western flank of Ukrainian-held territories in Kursk Oblast, close to the Russian-controlled Glushkovsky district.
Snagost lies around 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the Ukrainian-held Russian town of Sudzha and around 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
Claims about the Russian counterattack also appeared on high-profile pro-war Telegram channels. The Two Majors channel wrote that apart from the 155th Marine Brigade, units of the 51st Parachute Regiment are also taking part in the operation.
The Rybar channel said that according to sources in the Russian General Staff, Moscow's troops are advancing into the Korenevsky district.
The Ukrainian crowd-sourced monitoring group DeepState also reported that the "situation on the left (western) flank of Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast has worsened."
"Russians began active assault operations, ferrying armored vehicles across the Seim River and other smaller rivers." Ukraine was previously targeting bridges and pontoon crossings across the Seim River in an apparent attempt to cut off Russian troops in the Glushkovsky district.
DeepState also reported that Russian forces were advancing toward Snagost but did not say that Moscow had captured the settlement.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept. 6 that Ukraine controls over 1,300 square kilometers and around 100 settlements in Kursk Oblast. According to Kyiv, the incursion was meant to divert Russian forces from Donbas and to prevent further Russian cross-border attacks from Kursk Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
