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Thursday, September 19, 2024

Russian offensive campaign assessment, september 19, 2024.

Kateryna Stepanenko, Riley Bailey, Angelica Evans, Davit Gasparyan, 

Haley Zehrung, and Frederick W. Kagan

September 19, 2024, 9:25pm ET

Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.

Click here to see ISW's interactive map of Ukraine's offensive in Kursk Oblast.

Click here to see ISW’s 3D control of terrain topographic map of Ukraine. Use of a computer (not a mobile device) is strongly recommended for using this data-heavy tool.

Click here to access ISW’s archive of interactive time-lapse maps of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These maps complement the static control-of-terrain map that ISW produces daily by showing a dynamic frontline. ISW will update this time-lapse map archive monthly.

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 13:00 pm ET on September 19. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the September 20 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly declined a request from the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) to offset Russian losses by declaring another mobilization wave in spring 2024 likely to avoid political costs associated with involuntary reserve call-ups. Putin has since remained committed to his crypto mobilization campaign, constraining Russia's mobilization potential. The Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ), citing a source “briefed” on an exchange between Putin and Russian MoD officials several months prior to the presidential inauguration in May 2024, reported that Putin dismissed the Russian MoD’s calls for another mobilization wave.[1] The source claimed that Putin instead stated his intent to only recruit people who were voluntarily signing military service contracts but that more Russian officials are convinced that mobilization is inevitable. The source added that the Russian military's current manpower is insufficient to achieve Russia's long-term goal of occupying all of Ukraine, degrading overall Ukrainian combat capability, and protecting the Russian state border. Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated that Russia continues to rapidly recruit contract servicemen ( kontraktniki ) and volunteers and that these forces are sufficient for Russia's aggression against Ukraine in response to a request from WSJ . Putin has avoided declaring another partial mobilization call-up of reservists since his decision to mobilize 300,000 troops in late September 2022 in response to successful Ukrainian counteroffensive operations, and Russia appears to lack the necessary manpower resources to simultaneously sustain the scale and tempo of Russian offensive operations in Ukraine and defensive efforts in Russian border regions.[2] A mobilized Russian servicemember and milblogger claimed in late August 2024 that the Russian government continues to rely on the remnants of regular military forces, mobilized personnel, and deceived short-term volunteers to continue Russian offensive operations in Ukraine, even though these elements are ill-prepared and have been suffering significant losses since October 2023.[3]

Mobilization in Russia remains unlikely in the near to medium term due to Putin’s personal fear that mobilization is a direct threat to his regime’s stability. ISW observed reports speculating about the possibility of Russia declaring another mobilization wave prior to Putin’s inauguration and following the Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, but Putin has not yet authorized such mobilization.[4] Russian opposition outlet Meduza reported that sources close to the Russian government claimed that the Kremlin entertained the idea of mobilization immediately after Ukraine's incursion, but that the Russian Cabinet of Ministers and Kremlin-affiliated businessmen opposed these considerations.[5] Putin has also been consistently signaling throughout the incursion his commitment to recruiting volunteers by boasting about the number of volunteers interested in fighting in Ukraine and meeting with Russian volunteers in response to the incursion.[6] Putin notably did not seize on the incursion as an opportunity to condition Russian society for mobilization in the immediate to medium term, instead choosing to form new irregular formations and expand Russian volunteer recruitment efforts.[7] The Kremlin and the Russian MoD notably shocked Russian society with the declaration of partial mobilization in late September 2022, and Putin likely seeks to avoid societal backlash in response to a new mobilization wave at this time.[8]

Russian authorities have reportedly tasked Russian forces with pushing Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast by mid-October 2024 and establishing a "buffer zone" into Ukrainian border areas along the international border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine by the end of October — significant undertakings that the Russian military is very unlikely to achieve in such a short period of time. Ukrainian newswire RBC-Ukraine reported on September 19 that unspecified sources stated that Russian forces have concentrated 37,000 personnel in Kursk Oblast and that Russian authorities have instructed these forces to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast by mid-October.[9] RBC-Ukraine's sources stated that the Kremlin wanted to concentrate a grouping of forces in Kursk Oblast that had a five-to-one manpower advantage over Ukrainian forces before launching a counteroffensive operation but did not establish such a grouping before launching a "counteroffensive" on September 10.[10] Russian forces have begun counterattacks within the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast but have not yet started large-scale combat operations that would indicate a concerted counteroffensive operation aimed at completely expelling Ukrainian forces from Kursk Oblast.[11] Sustained Russian counteroffensive operations within Kursk Oblast will require Russian forces to redeploy additional elements from Ukraine to Kursk Oblast and/or commit newly generated forces from within Russia to the area instead of the frontline in Ukraine.[12] Ukrainian forces have not established control of all areas throughout the entire salient in Kursk Oblast, but Ukrainian forces most certainly have prepared positions within some areas of the salient that will pose challenges to any concerted Russian counteroffensive effort.[13]

RBC-Ukraine's sources stated that Russian authorities have also tasked Russian forces with creating a "buffer zone" on the territory of "border oblasts bordering Russia" by October 30 — presumably an order to advance into Ukrainian territory along the international border to push Ukrainian fire elements further back from Russian territory.[14] Russian forces aimed to create a "buffer zone" in northern Kharkiv Oblast when they launched their offensive operation in the area on May 10, but have since only advanced roughly 10 kilometers in depth at most in northern Kharkiv Oblast.[15] The Ukrainian incursion into Kursk Oblast reportedly spoiled planned Russian offensive operations outside of northern Kharkiv Oblast in the international border area that likely aimed to expand the area of combat operations across a broader front in northeastern Ukraine and further fix and stretch Ukrainian forces along a longer front.[16] A Russian counteroffensive operation to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast followed immediately by a subsequent incursion into Ukrainian border oblasts reminiscent of Russia's offensive operation into northern Kharkiv Oblast would be a massive operational effort that would require a substantial allocation of manpower and materiel. The Russian military command has demonstrated a desire to shield the priority Russian offensive operation in the Pokrovsk direction from the operational pressures caused by Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast, but a Russian counteroffensive followed immediately by an offensive operation along the international border would most certainly generate operational requirements that would impact Russia's already degraded capability to funnel more manpower and materiel into the drive on Pokrovsk.[17]

The Kremlin continues to signal its commitment to improving Russian drone operations in Ukraine and drone production capabilities amid efforts to offset the social and economic impacts of a protracted Russian war effort. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Russia's Military-Industrial Commission on September 19 and discussed ongoing efforts to increase Russian drone production.[18] Putin acknowledged that drones are an integral part of modern warfare and that Russia’s war in Ukraine has further confirmed this assessment. Putin claimed that Russian companies delivered roughly 140,000 drones to Russian forces in 2023 and claimed that Russia plans to increase its drone production by ten-fold (to 1.4 million drones) in 2024. Putin emphasized that Russia must "consistently" increase its drone production capabilities and improve the effectiveness of Russian-produced drones in order to meet the needs of the Russian military. Putin praised Russia's private drone production initiatives or "people's defense industry" and noted that these private initiatives have joined forces with state defense enterprises to increase Russia's national drone production capabilities. Putin noted that privately produced drones are not "inferior" to drones produced by state defense companies and that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) extensively tests all drone models before transferring the drones to frontline Russian forces. A DW investigation, however, observed evidence that suggests that some Russian irregular forces may be testing newly-developed drones in strikes on Ukrainian civilians, possibly to speed up the testing periods.[19] Putin thanked Russian volunteer organizations for providing drones and electronic warfare (EW) systems to frontline Russian units. Putin also visited Russia's Special Technology Center in St. Petersburg, which specializes in drone, EW system, and communication systems production and inspected new drone types at the facility.[20] Russian milbloggers also reported that Putin met with and inspected drones from private drone production initiatives and praised the drone producers for their work.[21] Russian milbloggers have consistently complained about the poor quality of state-produced drones and often praise private drone production initiatives for producing more effective drones.[22]

Putin’s claims that Russian plans to increase the drone-production to 1.4 million drones in 2024 is slightly lower than planned Ukrainian drone production rates in 2024. Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Strategic Industrial Hanna Hvozdyar noted in March 2024 that Ukraine intends to produce two million drones in 2024, and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly emphasized that Ukraine is prioritizing modernizing and constantly developing new drones to meet the needs of Ukrainian servicemembers.[23]

Putin claimed that Russia must ensure that there are "no barriers" to the movement of Russian citizens between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast.[24] Putin claimed during a meeting with recently elected heads of Russian federal subjects (regions) and occupied Crimea on September 19 that Kaliningrad Oblast is Russia's "western outpost" and that Russia must strive to ensure that Kaliningrad Oblast is not only an "outpost" or a "fortress" on Russia's western borders but is also well integrated into Russian society and the Russian economy. Putin stated that Russia will never "forget" about Kaliningrad Oblast and that Kaliningrad Oblast must continue to develop in accordance with Russia's social and cultural values. Kaliningrad Oblast is a Russian federal subject situated between Lithuania and Poland on the coast of the Baltic Sea, and some Russians travel between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad by train or car via Belarus and NATO member states Latvia and Lithuania.[25] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) proposed in May 2024 that the Russian government should reassess Russia’s maritime borders in the Baltic Sea, including around Kaliningrad Oblast, so that these borders “correspond to the modern geographical situation,” and Russian authorities repeatedly threatened NATO member states, including Finland and the Baltic States, in late 2023 and early 2024. [26] Putin's comments about maintaining Kaliningrad's cultural and social ties to Russia are likely aimed at his domestic audience, although Putin may be setting conditions for future Russian aggression against the Baltic States under the guise of defending Kaliningrad Oblast.

The reported transfer of Indian artillery shells through European intermediaries to Ukraine is reportedly generating tensions within the Russian–Indian relationship. Reuters , citing 11 Indian and European government officials and unspecified defense industry sources, reported on September 19 that Ukraine has acquired Indian artillery shells procured through European intermediaries for over a year despite Russian objections.[27] Reuters noted that European countries, including Italy and Czechia, have purchased empty artillery shells from India, filled them with explosives, and shipped them to Ukraine. Reuters stated that customs records reveal that shipments to Ukraine included 155mm, 120mm, and 125mm ammunition shells. Reuters stated that the Kremlin has addressed the supply issue with Indian officials on multiple occasions including during a July 2024 meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, but that New Delhi has reportedly not intervened to halt the trade. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs dismissed the Reuters report as “speculative and misleading" on September 19.[28] The Reuters report comes amid complications in Russian–Indian bilateral relations and following Modi’s August 23 visit to Ukraine during which Modi highlighted principles of international law, including sovereignty and territorial integrity, in discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.[29] Modi's comments with Zelensky contrast with his July 9 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which Modi made rather vague statements of peace.[30]

The European Parliament called on member states to lift restrictions on Ukraine's ability to use Western-provided long-range systems to strike military objects in Russia. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on September 19 encouraging its members to allow Ukraine to use western-provided weapons to strike “legitimate military targets” in Russia.[31] The European Parliament called on all European Union (EU) and NATO members to commit to providing annual military support to Ukraine at a minimum of 0.25 percent of the member's GDP. The statement comes against the backdrop of ongoing Western hesitation to lift restrictions on long-range strikes into Russia.[32]

Key Takeaways:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly declined a request from the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) to offset Russian losses by declaring another mobilization wave in spring 2024 likely to avoid political costs associated with involuntary reserve call-ups. Putin has since remained committed to his crypto mobilization campaign, constraining Russia's mobilization potential.
• Mobilization in Russia remains unlikely in the near to medium term due to Putin’s personal fear that mobilization is a direct threat to his regime’s stability.
• Russian authorities have reportedly tasked Russian forces with pushing Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast by mid-October 2024 and establishing a "buffer zone" into Ukrainian border areas along the international border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine by the end of October — significant undertakings that the Russian military is very unlikely to achieve in such a short period of time.
• The Kremlin continues to signal its commitment to improving Russian drone operations in Ukraine and drone production capabilities amid efforts to offset the social and economic impacts of a protracted Russian war effort.
• Putin claimed that Russia must ensure that there are "no barriers" to the movement of Russian citizens between mainland Russia and Kaliningrad Oblast.
• The reported transfer of Indian artillery shells through European intermediaries to Ukraine is reportedly generating tensions within the Russian-Indian relationship.
• The European Parliament called on member states to lift restrictions on Ukraine's ability to use Western-provided long-range systems to strike military objects in Russia.
• Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced in Kursk Oblast.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Kharkiv City, Svatove, Siversk, Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk, and Hulyaipole.
• Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated during a meeting on the development of the Russian Armed Forces on September 18 that the Kremlin aims to improve Russia's federal level training system.

We do not report in detail on Russian war crimes because these activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting. We will continue to evaluate and report on the effects of these criminal activities on the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian population and specifically on combat in Ukrainian urban areas. We utterly condemn Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports.

Ukrainian Operations in the Russian Federation

• Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine (comprised of three subordinate main efforts)
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Push Ukrainian forces back from the international border with Belgorod Oblast and approach to within tube artillery range of Kharkiv City
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and encircle northern Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #3 – Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis
• Russian Air, Missile, and Drone Campaign
• Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts
• Russian Technological Adaptations
• Activities in Russian-occupied areas
• Ukrainian Defense Industrial Base Efforts

Russian Information Operations and Narratives

• Significant Activity in Belarus

Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced west of the Ukrainian salient in Kursk Oblast amid continued Ukrainian assaults in the area on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 19 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced east of Veseloye (west of the Ukrainian salient and south of Glushkovo).[33] A Russian milblogger also claimed that Ukrainian forces marginally advanced within central Medvezhye (southeast of Glushkovo).[34] Chechen Akhmat Spetsnaz Commander Apty Alaudinov claimed during an interview published on September 19 that Ukrainian forces are trying to advance near Veseloye (south of Korenevo and near the international border).[35] Ukrainian forces reportedly attacked west of the Ukrainian salient near Novy Put, Obukhovka, and Medvezhye (all south of Glushkovo).[36]

Ukrainian forces recently advanced further on the northern side of Ukraine's salient in Kursk Oblast and continued assaults in the area on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 19 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently advanced southeast of Sheptukhovka (northeast of Korenevo) and southeast of Naydenov (north of Sudzha).[37] Ukrainian forces reportedly attacked within the Ukrainian salient near Lyubimovka, Obukhovka (both southeast of Korenevo and east of Snagost), Kremyanoye (east of Korenevo), and Borki (southeast of Sudzha).[38]

Russian forces reportedly advanced in Kursk Oblast on September 19. Alaudinov claimed on September 19 that Russian forces advanced along the southwestern edge of the Ukrainian salient and seized Nikolayevo-Daryino and Daryino.[39] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces also advanced west of the Ukrainian salient near Obukhovka and along the outskirts of the Ukrainian salient southeast of Korenevo and northwest of Lyubimovka, but ISW has not observed confirmation of these claims.[40] Elements of the newly-formed "Kursk Knights" detachment (Donetsk People's Republic [DNR] "Pyatnashka" international volunteer brigade), which is reportedly staffed by residents of Kursk Oblast, are reportedly operating near Borki.[41] Elements of the Russian 2nd Spetsnaz Brigade (Russian General Staff's Main Directorate [GUR]) and 810th Naval Infantry Brigade (Black Sea Fleet [BSF], Southern Military District [SMD]) reportedly continue to operate in Kursk Oblast.[42]

Additional satellite imagery captured on September 19 shows that there are ongoing fires at the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) Main Missile and Artillery Directorate's 107th Arsenal in Toropets, Tver Oblast following the September 18 Ukrainian drone strike.[43] A source within Ukrainian defense intelligence told Ukrainian outlet RBC Ukraine on September 18 that Ukrainian forces used over 100 drones during the September 18 drone strike, although it is unclear if the source is referring to the wider drone strike against targets in Russia or the Toropets strike specifically.[44]

Ukrainian Kharkiv Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Vitaly Sarantsev stated on September 19 that Russian forces mined unspecified dams in Belgorod Oblast to possibly slow Ukrainian advances in the event of a Ukrainian incursion into Belgorod Oblast.[45] Sarantsev noted that Russian forces may conduct false flag attacks against dams in Belgorod Oblast to blame Ukraine for the corresponding flooding and humanitarian disaster in order to further mobilize Russian society.[46] Sarantsev added that Russian forces are actively building fortifications around Belgorod City in apparent preparation for possible Ukrainian cross-border activity.[47]

Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Kharkiv Oblast ( Russian objective: Push Ukrainian forces back from the international border with Belgorod Oblast and approach to within tube artillery range of Kharkiv City)

Russian forces recently advanced north of Kharkiv City amid continued fighting in northern Kharkiv Oblast on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 19 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced in dacha areas west of Hlyboke (north of Kharkiv City) and along the Travyanske Reservoir.[48] Russian forces continued ground assaults north of Kharkiv City near Hlyboke and northeast of Kharkiv City near Vovchansk and Tykhe on September 18 and 19.[49] A Ukrainian officer operating near Vovchansk stated on September 19 that Russian forces conducting urban assaults within Vovchansk are moving in groups of three to four personnel between positions and typically lose two thirds of their personnel during assaults within the town.[50] Ukrainian Kharkiv Group of Forces Spokesperson Colonel Vitaly Sarantsev stated on September 18 that Russian offensive activity has recently decreased along the Lyptsi-Hlyboke line and that Russian forces are strengthening their positions in the area.[51] Sarantsev stated that Russian forces have recently intensified remote mining at forward positions in the Kharkiv direction in order to restrain possible Ukrainian advances and that Russian forces are currently focused on reconstituting assault groups and improving command and control (C2) and communications in the area to resume offensive operations.[52] Sarantsev added that Russian forces are intensifying drone activities in the Kharkiv direction, particularly to deliver supplies to Russian soldiers at forward positions who are suffering health issues en masse because a lack of provisions has forced the personnel to eat food and drink water that they scavenge near their positions.[53] Ukraine's Kharkiv Group of Forces stated on September 19 that Russian forces are focused on restoring the combat capabilities of elements of the 11th Tank Regiment (18th Motorized Rifle Division, 11th Army Corps [AC], Leningrad Military District [LMD]) near Hlyboke, elements of the 7th Motorized Rifle Regiment (11th AC, LMD) near Lyptsi, and elements of the 380th Motorized Rifle Regiment (47th Tank Division, 1st Guards Tank Army [GTA], Moscow Military District [MMD]) near Lukyantsi (northeast of Kharkiv City).[54] Ukraine's Kharkiv Group of Forces reported that elements of the 128th Motorized Rifle Brigade (44th AC, LMD) and the 82nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (69th Motorized Rifle Division, 6th Combined Arms Army [CAA], LMD) are operating within Vovchansk.[55]

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Luhansk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast)

Russian forces recently made confirmed marginal advances southwest of Svatove amid continued assaults along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 19 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally advanced in western Makiivka (southwest of Svatove) in Luhansk Oblast.[56] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces operating southeast of Kupyansk also advanced towards Hlushkivka, west and north of Pishchane, and south of Stelmakhivka.[57] ISW has not observed confirmation of these claims, however. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces continued ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk near Synkivka ; northwest of Svatove near Stelmakhivka, Hlushkivka, Kruhlyakivka, and Pishchane; southwest of Svatove near Druzhelyubivka, Makiivka, Cherneshchyna, Nevske, and Novosadove; and west of Kreminna near Torske on September 18 and 19.[58] Russian milbloggers amplified footage purportedly showing that Russian forces destroyed a bridge over the Oskil River near Kupyansk-Vuzlovyi (just southeast of Kupyansk).[59] Elements of the Russian 375th Separate Anti-Tank Artillery Battalion (47th Tank Division, 1st Guards Tank Army [GTA], Moscow Military District [MMD]) reportedly continue to operate in the Kupyansk direction.[60]

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #3 – Donetsk Oblast (Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas)

Russian forces recently advanced southeast of Siversk amid continued assaults in the area on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 18 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced southeast of Vyimka (southeast of Siversk).[61] Russian forces continued assaults east of Siversk near Verkhnokamyanske and southeast of Siversk near Ivano-Daryivka and Vyimka on September 18 and 19.[62] Elements of the Russian 2nd Artillery Brigade (3rd Combined Arms Army [CAA], formerly 2nd Luhansk People’s Republic Army Corps [LNR AC]) are reportedly operating in the Siversk direction.[63]

Russian forces recently marginally advanced north of Chasiv Yar amid continued offensive operations in the area on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 18 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally advanced in Hryhorivka (north of Chasiv Yar). A Ukrainian brigade operating in the Chasiv Yar direction published footage on September 18 showing Ukrainian forces striking Russian forces attempting to cross the Siverskyi-Donets Donbas Canal near Chasiv Yar with drones.[64] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces continued offensive operations near Chasiv Yar itself; south of Chasiv Yar near Stupochky and Bila Hora; and southeast of Chasiv Yar near Kurdyumivka on September 18 and 19.[65]

Russian forces continued offensive operations in the Toretsk direction on September 19 but did not make any confirmed advances. Russian milbloggers claimed on September 19 that Russian forces advanced 150 meters in eastern Toretsk and seized an unspecified waste heap north of Zalizne (southeast of Toretsk).[66] Fighting continued within eastern Toretsk; northeast of Toretsk near Dachne; south of Toretsk near Nelipivka; and near Toretsk in the direction of Shcherbynivka on September 18 and 19. [67]

Ukrainian forces recently recaptured territory and Russian forces recently marginally advanced in the Pokrovsk direction amid continued fighting on September 19. Geolocated footage published on September 19 indicates that Ukrainian forces recently marginally advanced southeast of Marynivka (southeast of Pokrovsk and northeast of Selydove).[68] Geolocated footage published on September 18 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally advanced southwest of Mykhailivka (southeast of Pokrovsk and just east of Selydove).[69] A Ukrainian spokesperson reported that Russian forces are attempting to deploy sabotage and reconnaissance groups near Selydove in order to get behind Ukrainian positions in the area and conduct reconnaissance.[70] The spokesperson also reported that Russian forces are conducting assaults in small infantry groups comprised of three to 10 people in the Pokrovsk direction.[71] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced in northern Hrodivka (east of Pokrovsk) and northwest of Ukrainsk, north of Hirnyk, and in the direction of Selydove (all located southeast of Pokrovsk).[72] A Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger claimed on September 18 that Russian forces control 80 percent of Hrodivka (east of Pokrovsk).[73] ISW has assessed that Russian forces occupy approximately 60 percent of Hrodivka, however. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces conducted ground attacks east of Pokrovsk near Vozdvyzhenka, Myrolyubivka, Novooleksandrivka, Novotoretske, Hrodivka, Vozdvyzhenka, Krasnyi Yar, and southeast of Pokrovsk near Mykolaivka, Novohrodivka, Marynivka, Mykhailivka, Zhelanne Pershe, Ukrainsk, and Tsukuryne on September 18 and 19.[74] Elements of the Russian 3rd “Atlant” Motorized Rifle Battalion of the Russian 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade (41st Combined Arms Army [CAA], Central Military District [CMD]) are reportedly operating in Hrodivka.[75] Artillerymen of the Russian “Volga” Brigade are reportedly also operating in the Pokrovsk direction.[76]

Russian forces operating west of Donetsk City continued offensive operations near Heorhiivka and in the direction of Dalne on September 19, but did not make any confirmed advances.[77] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and several Russian milbloggers claimed on September 19 that Russian forces seized Heorhiivka.[78] ISW previously assessed that Russian forces seized Heorhiivka on June 14, however.[79] Ukrainian military observer Kostyantyn Mashovets stated on September 19 that elements of the Russian 8th CAA (Southern Military District [SMD]) are operating in the Kurakove direction, including its 1st, 5th, 9th, and 110th motorized rifle brigades; 20th Motorized Rifle Division; and most of the 155th Motorized Rifle Division.[80]

Russian forces continued offensive operations southwest of Donetsk City on September 19, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline. Russian forces attacked near Vuhledar, Kostyantynivka, Katerynivka, Bohoyavlenka, and Vodyane on September 18 and 19.[81] Mashovets stated on September 19 that a "tactical group" of the Russian Central Grouping of Forces is operating west and north of Vuhledar with the task of seizing Vuhledar and the Pivdennodonbaska Mine No. 1.[82] Mashovets stated that elements of the Russian 39th Motorized Rifle Brigade (68th Army Corps [AC], Eastern Military District [EMD]) and likely elements of the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade (29th CAA, EMD) and the 57th Motorized Rifle Regiment (6th Motorized Rifle Division, 3rd AC) are operating near Vuhledar.[83] Elements of the Russian 150th Motorized Rifle Division (8th CAA, SMD) are reportedly operating south of Donetsk City.[84]

Russian forces continued ground assaults in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area on September 19, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline. Russian forces conducted offensive operations in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area southeast of Velyka Novosilka near Zolota Nyva; south of Velyka Novosilka near Makarivka; and southwest of Velyka Novosilka near Novodarivka and Rivnopil and towards Solodke on September 18 and 19.[85]

Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis (Russian objective: Maintain frontline positions and secure rear areas against Ukrainian strikes)

Russian forces recently made marginal gains in eastern Zaporizhia Oblast near Hulyaipole. Geolocated footage published on September 18 shows Ukrainian forces striking a Russian-occupied building in a gardening community north of Marfopil (immediately southeast of Hulyaipole), indicating that Russian forces advanced further in the area during previous assaults.[86] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces attacked near Hulyaipole on September 19.[87]

Limited positional engagements continued in western Zaporizhia Oblast on September 19, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces conducted ground attacks north of Robotnye near Novodanylivka, northeast of Robotyne near Mala Tokmachka, northwest of Robotyne in the direction of Novoandriivka, and west of Robotyne and southeast of Stepnohirsk near Pyatykhatky.[88] Elements of the Russian 234th VDV Regiment (76th VDV Division) are reportedly operating in the Zaporizhia direction.[89]

Russian forces conducted limited ground attacks in the east (left) bank Kherson Oblast.[90] Elements of the 18th Combined Arms Army [CAA] (Southern Military District [SMD]) are reportedly operating in the Kherson direction.[91]

Russian Air, Missile, and Drone Campaign (Russian Objective: Target Ukrainian military and civilian infrastructure in the rear and on the frontline)

Russian forces conducted a limited number of drone and missile strikes against Ukraine on the night of September 18 to 19. The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched three S-300/S-400 air defense missiles from Belgorod Oblast, a Kh-59/69 cruise missile from airspace over occupied Zaporizhia Oblast, and 42 Shahed-136/131 drones from Primorsko-Akhtarsk, Krasnodar Krai and Kursk Oblast.[92] The Ukrainian Air Force stated that Ukrainian forces downed all 42 Shahed drones over Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, and Kherson oblasts and the Kh-59/69 cruise missile over eastern Ukraine.[93] Ukraine's Kharkiv Group of Forces reported that Russian forces struck unspecified areas in Kharkiv Oblast with three unspecified missiles on September 18.[94]

Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts (Russian objective: Expand combat power without conducting general mobilization)

Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated during a meeting on the development of the Russian Armed Forces on September 18 that the Kremlin aims to improve Russia's federal level training system, at least in part to staff new military districts.[95] Putin claimed that Russian regional and federal authorities must cooperate to staff the Russian Armed Forces with trained and educated personnel and to staff military units and formations of new military districts (referring to the newly reformed Moscow and Leningrad military districts [MMD/LMD]) in constant combat readiness. Putin stated that Russia must use all available resources including modern training bases belonging to pre-conscription training organizations, military universities, training grounds, and methodological centers to train Russian military personnel. Putin noted that he had recently signed a decree to increase the size of the Russian Armed Forces, which will be effective starting December 1, 2025, to address staffing issues.

The Indian government announced that Russia discharged dozens of the 91 Indian nationals who were duped into fighting in Ukraine with the Russian Armed Forces.[96] BBC, citing interviews with released Indian nationals, reported that unspecified agents lured citizens from poor families by promising them money and jobs, sometimes as support staff for the Russian military.[97] BBC reported that many interviewed Indian nationals recalled being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine with little to no military training and that at least nine Indian nationals have died in the war. Indian officials previously reported that Putin pledged to return Indian volunteers fighting in Ukraine during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia in July 2024.[98]

The Kremlin continues to signal great concern over long-term demographic problems in Russia, which have been exacerbated by Russian personnel losses in Ukraine. Russian Federation Council Chairperson Valentina Matvienko expressed support on September 18 for a bill that would ban “child-free propaganda,” or content promoting lifestyles without children, and noted that the state cannot allow the “proliferation” of such ideology.[99] The Russian State Duma previously introduced a bill in September 2022 that would ban the distribution of ”child-free” content among minors, but later removed this bill from consideration in March 2023.[100] Russian Deputy Minister of Justice Vsevolod Vukolov earlier stated on June 27 that Russian State Duma deputies are preparing a bill to ban the so-called "child-free" "ideology, and ISW assessed that the Kremlin may be using indirect means to bypass Russian law and codify a state ideology that emphasizes Russia's "traditional" social values while attempting to increase Russia's birth rate.[101] Russian opposition outlet Verstka reported that a Tver Oblast court ordered to ban three small Russian VK pages on August 23 that published memes about ”child-free” lifestyles, claiming that such content “contradicts the goals and objectives of the current legislation.”[102]

Russian Technological Adaptations (Russian objective: Introduce technological innovations to optimize systems for use in Ukraine)

A Russian milblogger published footage on September 19 claiming to show elements of the Russian 114th Motorized Rifle Brigade (51st Combined Arms Army [CAA], formerly 1st Donetsk People's Republic [DNR] Army Corps [AC]) testing the "Karakurt" drone from Kalashnikov Concern, a subsidiary of Russian state-owned defense conglomerate Rostec, that reportedly has a one-kilometer flight radius and twenty-minute flight time for fast close tactical reconnaissance.[103] The milblogger claimed that elements of the brigade will redeploy to Ukrainsk in the Pokrovsk direction soon and will test the drones in the area.

Ukrainian Defense Industrial Efforts (Ukrainian objective: Develop its defense industrial base to become more self-sufficient in cooperation with US, European, and international partners)

ISW is suspending publishing coverage of Ukrainian defense industrial efforts until further notice.

Activities in Russian-occupied areas (Russian objective: Consolidate administrative control of annexed areas; forcibly integrate Ukrainian citizens into Russian sociocultural, economic, military, and governance systems)

ISW is not publishing coverage of Russian-occupied areas today.

Ukrainian military officials continued to identify Russian efforts to infiltrate the Ukrainian information space and spy on Ukrainian forces via Telegram. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications (Stratcom) identified a Telegram channel that had targeted Ukrainian military audiences prior to and during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in an effort to spy on and demoralize Ukrainian military personnel.[104] Ukrainian Stratcom identified that the Telegram channel had ties to Russian military intelligence and routinely published Russian propaganda lines. Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) identified eight Telegram chatbots that attempted to imitate the GUR’s official “Main Intelligence Bot” chatbot and reported that Russian actors are trying to mislead Ukrainian citizens residing in occupied territories who use the chatbot to transmit information to the GUR.[105]

Significant activity in Belarus (Russian efforts to increase its military presence in Belarus and further integrate Belarus into Russian-favorable frameworks and Wagner Group activity in Belarus)

Donetsk Oblast occupation administration head Denis Pushilin met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on September 19 in Minsk to discuss joint youth programs and the creation of a center for Belarusian goods in occupied Donetsk Oblast.[106] Pushilin also met with the Belarusian Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Igor Sergeenko, to discuss youth cooperation projects.[107] Pushilin stated that children from occupied Donetsk Oblast are currently present in Minsk, Belarus.[108] Belarusian officials and volunteers have previously participated in Russian efforts to deport children from occupied Ukraine to Belarus and Russia, and Pushilin's focus on youth programs in his meetings with Belarusian officials may portend an increase in Belarusian involvement in Russian deportation schemes.[109]

Note: ISW does not receive any classified material from any source, uses only publicly available information, and draws extensively on Russian, Ukrainian, and Western reporting and social media as well as commercially available satellite imagery and other geospatial data as the basis for these reports. References to all sources used are provided in the endnotes of each update.

[1] https://www.wsj.com/world/russia/putin-troops-pressure-russia-ukraine-war-5f242a1c?mod=WSJ_Euronews ; https://t.me/idelrealii/37587

[2] https://isw.pub/RusCampaignSept21

[3] https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-31-2024

[4] https://global dot espreso.tv/vladimir-putin-putin-may-declare-total-mobilization-after-elections-colonel-chernyk-on-serious-danger-to-ukraine; https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-mobilization-war-ukraine-prisons/32873203.html; https://kyivindependent dot com/i-wont-go-russians-grumble-as-kursk-incursion-exposes-kremlins-need-for-mobilization/; https://meduza dot io/news/2024/08/13/bloomberg-iz-za-nehvatki-voennyh-rezervov-novuyu-mobilizatsiyu-v-rossii-mogut-ob-yavit-do-kontsa-2024-goda

[5] https://meduza dot io/feature/2024/08/21/v-kremle-schitayut-chto-boi-v-kurskoy-oblasti-prodlyatsya-neskolko-mesyatsev-i-hotyat-ubedit-rossiyan-chto-eto-novaya-normalnost

[6] https://www.kommersant dot ru/doc/6891385; https://www.interfax dot ru/russia/977358

[7] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-29-2024

[8] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/28/russias-mobilisation-sparks-backlash-over-war-in-ukraine; https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/17/europe/russia-soldiers-desert-battlefield-intl-cmd/index.html

[9] https://www.rbc dot ua/rus/news/rf-trimae-kurskiy-oblasti-37-tisyach-voyakiv-1726730996.html

[10] https://www.rbc dot ua/rus/news/rf-trimae-kurskiy-oblasti-37-tisyach-voyakiv-1726730996.html

[11] https://isw.pub/UkrWar091324 ;

[12] https://isw.pub/UkrWar091424 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/assessing-significance-current-russian-and-ukrainian-operations-course-war

[13] https://isw.pub/UkrWar091224

[14] https://www.rbc dot ua/rus/news/rf-trimae-kurskiy-oblasti-37-tisyach-voyakiv-1726730996.html

[15] https://isw.pub/UkrWar051724

[16] https://isw.pub/UkrWar091324

[17] https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-17-2024

[18] http://kremlin dot ru/events/president/news/75145

[19] https://m.youtube.com/watch?si=xqVFWRPQ9WIzYZye&v=kuTo94TnMPo&feature=youtu.be

[20] http://kremlin dot ru/events/president/news/75140

[21] https://t.me/vysokygovorit/17393 ; https://t.me/epoddubny/21110 ; https://t.me/voenacher/71968 ; https://t.me/rybar/63657 ; https://t.me/rybar/63658

[22] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-22-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-10-2024 ; https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-21-2024-0

[23] https://www.kyivpost.com/post/29064 ; https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/ukraines-drone-success-offers-a-blueprint-for-cybersecurity-strategy/#:~:text=According%20to%20Ukrainian%20President%20Volodymyr,armored%20vehicles%20on%20the%20battlefield.

[24] http://kremlin dot ru/events/president/news/75126

[25] https://cepa.org/article/russians-discover-a-backdoor-to-europe/ ; https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-is-kaliningrad-at-the-center-of-a-new-russia-nato-faceoff/ ; https://schengen.news/russian-influx-to-eu-through-loophole-rail-route-to-kaliningrad-raises-security-concerns/

[26] https://isw.pub/UkrWar052224 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar011624 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar122623 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar121923

[27] https://www.reuters.com/world/ammunition-india-enters-ukraine-raising-russian-ire-2024-09-19/; https://mil.in dot ua/uk/news/indiya-postachaye-boyeprypasy-ukrayini-vsuperech-rosijskym-vymogam/; https://www.ukrinform dot ua/rubric-world/3907289-evropejski-kraini-peredaut-ukraini-zakupleni-indijski-snaradi-reuters.html

[28] https://www.thehindu dot com/news/national/speculative-and-misleading-mea-on-media-report-saying-ammunition-from-india-entering-ukraine/article68661185.ece

[29] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-23-2024

[30] https://understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-23-2024; https://asia.nikkei dot com/Politics/International-relations/India-PM-Modi-tells-Putin-in-Moscow-peace-is-of-utmost-importance

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[32] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-september-11-2024

[33] https://x.com/moklasen/status/1836826572579356679; https://x.com/moklasen/status/1836826576064762034; https://t.me/zhdanovrt/1450; https://t.me/rybar/63631

[34] https://t.me/rybar/63631

[35] https://t.me/wargonzo/22200

[36] https://t.me/mod_russia/43558 ; https://t.me/rybar/63631 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52970

[37] https://t.me/warriorofnorth/2788; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/6859 ; https://t.me/rusich_army/17201; https://x.com/seanders_geo/status/1836733220630499445

[38] https://t.me/mod_russia/43558 ; https://t.me/rybar/63631 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52970

[39] https://t.me/tass_agency/273752 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/273664 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/15716

[40] https://t.me/rybar/63631 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52970

[41] https://t.me/tass_agency/273677

[42] https://t.me/wargonzo/22200 ; https://t.me/Sladkov_plus/11426

[43] https://twitter.com/bradyafr/status/1836772681766588547 ; https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1836472353150390650

[44] https://newsukraine.rbc dot ua/analytics/will-strike-on-russia-s-toropets-arsenal-1726679973.html

[45] https://t.me/otukharkiv/1457

[46] https://t.me/otukharkiv/1457

[47] https://t.me/otukharkiv/1457

[48] https://x.com/AudaxonX/status/1836744291676213674; https://t.me/volksotn/270; https://t.me/wtormbat4_92OWBr/86; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/6858

[49] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl ; https://t.me/wargonzo/22193

[50] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/19/vyzhyvaye-tretyna-u-vovchansku-vorog-stabilno-vtrachaye-do-70-shturmovykiv/; https://youtu.be/j5TqaWCCdUg

[51] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/18/bpla-dlya-postachannya-zastosovuyut-rosiyany-na-harkivshhyni-zsu-protydiyut/; https://youtu.be/j5TqaWCCdUg

[52] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/18/miny-skydayut-z-droniv-v-zsu-poyasnyly-navishho-rosiyany-minuyut-misczevist-na-harkivshhyni/; https://youtu.be/j5TqaWCCdUg

[53] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/18/perevely-na-pidnozhnyj-korm-na-harkivshhyni-okupanty-potruyilysya-cherez-nestachu-proviziyi/; https://youtu.be/j5TqaWCCdUg ;

[54] https://t.me/otukharkiv/1450

[55] https://t.me/otukharkiv/1450

[56] https://t.me/seekservice/1968; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/6857; https://t.me/z_arhiv/28162

[57] https://t.me/rybar/63640 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52970 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/15697

[58]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[59] https://t.me/warhistoryalconafter/185267 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52960 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/15697

[60] https://t.me/boris_rozhin/137854

[61] https://t.me/luhanskdpsu/330; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/6853

[62]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[63] https://t.me/stepnoy_veter/11980

[64] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/18/forsuvaly-kanal-potrapyly-na-toj-svit-znyshhennya-voroga-bilya-chasovogo-yaru/; https://t.me/official24ombr/514

[65]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[66] https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/15700 ; https://t.me/RVvoenkor/77260

[67]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[68] https://t.me/sudoplatov_official/2852; https://t.me/creamy_caprice/6855

[69] https://x.com/Danspiun/status/1836798107067285667; https://x.com/strategicbakery/status/1836506166123225364; https://x.com/small10space/status/1836504348244742363

[70] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/19/drg-u-tyl-sylam-oborony-zasylayut-rosiyany-na-shodi-yaka-meta-voroga/; https://youtu.be/j5TqaWCCdUg

[71] https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/19/kurahivskyj-napryamok-aktyvnishyj-za-pokrovskyj-rechnyk-ngu/; https://youtu.be/j5TqaWCCdUg

[72] https://t.me/RVvoenkor/77255 ; https://t.me/RVvoenkor/77255 ; https://t.me/boris_rozhin/137888 ; https://t.me/warhistoryalconafter/185267 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52960 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/52970 ; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/15702 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/22193

[73] https://t.me/rybar/63640

[74]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[75] https://t.me/btr80/20522 ; https://t.me/voin_dv/10860

[76] https://t.me/motopatriot/27794; https://t.me/digest1744/1331

[77]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[78] https://t.me/mod_russia/43555 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/59108; https://t.me/tass_agency/273737 ; https://t.me/vrogov/17484

[79] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-14-2024

[80] https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/2193

[81] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[82] https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/2191

[83] https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/2191; https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/2193

[84] https://ria dot ru/20240919/kulibin-1973441060.html ; https://t.me/andrew_kots/855 ; https://t.me/sashakots/49058

[85]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0oJBkAAMcdjWynbUn6KayNrDQdujvVAF5qyxjwpKa8zNr2JBKhaJUHWwqPZgYweGl

[86] https://t.me/arkan_102/35; https://t.me/WarArchive_ua/20253

[87]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl

[88]https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl

[89] https://t.me/dva_majors/52950

[90] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0sWmhwCRqMcs8hEDBjvtXf7WuuoSsLu2D6WiCPvwzEKNKZXkVaf26MEvRCmm6DQ31l ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0H2b5sLTYGQapCqwChRGkqwMyyakUkWRrxTz8Ai8nxocBTqtr9M9o1q8sN3hcL5TRl

[91] https://t.me/dva_majors/52979

[92] https://t.me/kpszsu/19604 ; https://suspilne dot media/839515-povitrani-sili-vnoci-zbili-42-sahedi-i-raketu/ ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0hA7gWXPPKkhY1MjxYuFP4T3ZCPMqBpngKUDvHA5HBucKvrzxxQZeU6UqahFXkQqRl; https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/19/nichna-ataka-rosiyi-syly-ppo-zbyly-vsi-shahedy-ta-kerovanu-aviaczijnu-raketu/

[93] https://t.me/kpszsu/19604 ; https://suspilne dot media/839515-povitrani-sili-vnoci-zbili-42-sahedi-i-raketu/ ;https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid0hA7gWXPPKkhY1MjxYuFP4T3ZCPMqBpngKUDvHA5HBucKvrzxxQZeU6UqahFXkQqRl; https://armyinform dot com.ua/2024/09/19/nichna-ataka-rosiyi-syly-ppo-zbyly-vsi-shahedy-ta-kerovanu-aviaczijnu-raketu/

[94] https://t.me/otukharkiv/1450

[95] http://kremlin dot ru/events/president/news/75127

[96] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6ve2x72xo

[97] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly6ve2x72xo

[98] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-9-2024

[99] https://t.me/tass_agency/273810; https://meduza dot io/news/2024/09/18/valentina-matvienko-dvizhenie-chayldfri-nado-zapretit-zakonodatelno; https://iz dot ru/1760821/alena-nefedova/rossii-est-chto-skazat-miru-v-voprose-zhenskoi-povestki

[100] https://meduza dot io/news/2024/09/18/valentina-matvienko-dvizhenie-chayldfri-nado-zapretit-zakonodatelno

[101] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-27-2024

[102] https://t.me/svobodnieslova/5648

[103] https://t.me/wargonzo/22203

[104] https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=499151016342624&rdid=QKxPviyApJNXVLWa; https://spravdi dot gov.ua/telegram-kanal-nachshtabu/?fbclid=IwY2xjawFZg7tleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdc2YJQDeGeIKdHKxNqVlIRPoOAr4TrNzH2w03QucB6JaqYqcwSGO7byCg_aem_Z3w7O2CF24AzCUpq83Q5_w

[105] https://t.me/DIUkraine/4481              

[106] https://t.me/PushilinDenis/5139

[107] https://t.me/PushilinDenis/5141

[108] https://t.me/PushilinDenis/5140

[109] https://www.state.gov/belaruss-involvement-in-russias-systematic-relocation-of-ukraines-children/

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Polish Prime Minister says operation in Kursk Oblast is Ukraine's right to self-defence

Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, believes that Ukraine's operation in Russia's Kursk Oblast is an implementation of its internationally recognised right to self-defence.

Source: Tusk at a press conference on 13 August; European Pravda, citing PAP news agency

Details: While commenting on the Ukrainian attack on Kursk Oblast, Tusk stressed that "Ukraine's actions are defensive actions".

"What Russian troops and Russian aviation are doing on Ukrainian territory has signs of genocide as well as inhuman crimes. Therefore, Ukraine has the right to wage war in such a way as to paralyse Russia in its aggressive intentions as effectively as possible," he added.

The Prime Minister of Poland added that his government is in constant contact with the Ukrainian side, but "there are no consultations, such as someone in Kyiv coordinating with me on what day, where, and who will go".

"We support Ukraine in this defensive war," Tusk stressed.

Background:

Recently, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, confirmed for the first time that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting an offensive in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

On Tuesday, Syrskyi reported that Ukraine’s defence forces gained control over 74 settlements in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

The media reported that Ukraine had not informed its partners in the West of any details of the operation until recently .

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What to Know About Ukraine’s Cross-Border Assault Into Russia

The incursion caught Russia by surprise and signified a shift in tactics for Kyiv after more than two years of war with Russia.

• Share full article

By Andrew E. Kramer Constant Méheut Kim Barker Anton Troianovski and Cassandra Vinograd

Ukraine pressed ahead with its offensive inside Russian territory on Sunday , pushing toward more villages and towns nearly two weeks into the first significant foreign incursion in Russia since World War II.

But even as the Ukrainian army was advancing in Russia’s western Kursk region, its troops were steadily losing ground on their own territory. The Russian military is now about eight miles from the town of Pokrovsk in eastern Ukraine, according to open-source battlefield maps . The capture of Pokrovsk, a Ukrainian stronghold, would bring Moscow one step closer to its long-held goal of capturing the entire Donetsk region.

That underscored the gamble Ukraine’s army took when it crossed into Russia: throwing its forces into a daring offensive that risked weakening its own positions on the eastern front.

Whether that strategy will prove advantageous remains to be seen, analysts say.

On the political front, the offensive has already had some success: Ukraine’s rapid advance has embarrassed the Kremlin and has altered the narrative of a war in which Kyiv’s forces had been on the back foot for months.

Here’s what to know about Ukraine’s cross-border operation, which President Biden said last week was creating a “real dilemma” for the Russian government.

What happened?

Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles stormed into the Kursk region of western Russia on Aug. 6 , swiftly pushing through Russian defenses and capturing several villages.

Held by Ukraine

as of Aug. 13

Sverdlikovo

Sievierodonetsk

Area controlled

Zaporizhzhia

Sea of Azov

Ukrainian incursion

Source: Institute for the Study of War with American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project

By Veronica Penney

The assault, prepared in the utmost secrecy , opened a new front in the 30-month war and caught not only Russia off guard: Some Ukrainian soldiers and U.S. officials also said they lacked advance notice.

Analysts and Western officials estimate that Ukraine deployed about 1,000 troops at the start of the incursion. But military analysts say that it has since poured more troops into the operation to try to hold and expand its positions.

How far into Russia have Ukrainian troops advanced?

Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, Ukraine’s top commander, said last week that his army now controlled more than 80 Russian settlements in the Kursk region, including Sudzha , a town of 6,000 residents. His claims could not be independently verified, although analysts say that Sudzha is highly likely to be under full Ukrainian control.

Ukraine’s advance in the Kursk region has slowed in recent days, according to open-source maps of the battlefield based on combat footage and satellite images, as Russia sends in more reinforcements. The Ukrainian army appears to be trying to dig in along the border area rather than pushing deeper into Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine acknowledged that on Saturday, saying : “Now we are reinforcing our positions. The foothold of our presence is getting stronger.”

Why is this significant?

Kyiv has regularly bombarded Russian oil refineries and airfields with drones since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022. It has also helped stage two other ground attacks in Russia. Those, however, were smaller forays by Russian exile groups backed by the Ukrainian army, and they ended in quick retreats.

Until two weeks ago, Ukrainian forces had not counterattacked in Russia. The gains in Kursk are the quickest for Ukrainian forces since they reclaimed the Kherson region of their own country in November 2022.

How has the Kremlin responded?

As Ukrainian forces pushed deeper into Russia, Moscow scrambled to shore up its defenses, and President Vladimir V. Putin convened his security services to coordinate a response. The Russian military said it was sending more troops and armored vehicles to try to repel the attack, with Russian television broadcasting images of columns of military trucks.

Military analysts and U.S. officials have said the Russian command had so far brought in reinforcements mainly from within Russia so as to not deplete its units on the Ukrainian battlefield, in what they described as a disorganized effort.

“Russia is still pulling together its reaction,” Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO’s top military commander, said last week during a talk at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He described the Russian response as having been “fairly slow and scattered” as the authorities sorted out which military and security forces should take the lead.

And what about Putin?

The incursion has embarrassed Mr. Putin and his military establishment, prompting questions about Russia’s level of preparedness .

Underscoring how the attack rattled the Kremlin, Mr. Putin lashed out last week at the West in a tense televised meeting with his top officials. “The West is fighting us with the hands of the Ukrainians,” he said, repeating his frequent depiction of the war, which he started, as a proxy campaign against Russia by the West.

Ukraine’s incursion has brought the war into Russia like it never has before, and tens of thousands of civilians have evacuated the border area.

What is the goal of Ukraine’s incursion?

Analysts say that Ukraine’s offensive has two main aims : to draw Russian forces from the front lines in eastern Ukraine and to seize territory that could serve as a bargaining chip in future peace talks.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a top Ukrainian presidential adviser, said last week that Russia would be forced to the negotiating table only through suffering “significant tactical defeats.”

“In the Kursk region, we can clearly see how the military tool is being used objectively to persuade” Russia to enter “a fair negotiation process,” he wrote on social media .

The operation has offered a much-needed morale boost for Ukrainians, whose forces have been losing ground to Russian troops for months.

But military analysts have questioned whether Kyiv’s cross-border assault is worth the risk, given that Ukrainian forces are already stretched on the front lines of their own country.

How is it affecting the fight inside Ukraine?

Russian forces have been pummeling Ukrainian troops in the east even as Moscow races to respond to the incursion into Kursk , according to analysts, Western officials and Ukrainian soldiers.

Russia has begun to withdraw small numbers of troops from Ukraine, they said, to try to help repel the Ukrainians, but not enough to significantly affect the overall battlefield for now.

Senior American officials have said privately that they understood Kyiv’s need to change the narrative of the war, but that they were skeptical that Ukraine could hold the territory long enough to force Russia to divert significant resources from the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine.

While Kyiv’s allies have in the past been wary that Ukrainian incursions in Russia could escalate the war, the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell Fontelles, said last week that Ukraine had the bloc’s “ full support .”

Ukraine has used some Western-supplied weapons in the Kursk operation. But so far, the United States and Britain, two of Kyiv’s closes allies, have said the incursion did not violate their policies.”

What happens next?

As the Ukrainian offensive approaches its two-week mark, analysts say that Kyiv has several options, each with its own challenges.

Ukrainian forces could try to keep pushing farther into Russia, but that will become harder as Russian reinforcements arrive and Ukraine’s supply lines are stretched.

They could keep digging into the territory they now hold and try to defend it, but that could expose fixed Ukrainian positions to potentially devastating Russian airstrikes.

Or, battered by continual losses in eastern Ukraine, they could decide that they have made their point and pull back.

Thibault Fouillet, the deputy director of the Institute for Strategic and Defense Studies, a French research center, said Ukraine’s next move would depend on how Russia responds. “The coming week will be decisive,” he said.

Eric Schmitt contributed reporting.

Andrew E. Kramer is the Kyiv bureau chief for The Times, who has been covering the war in Ukraine since 2014. More about Andrew E. Kramer

Constant Méheut reports on the war in Ukraine, including battlefield developments, attacks on civilian centers and how the war is affecting its people. More about Constant Méheut

Kim Barker is a Times reporter writing in-depth stories about national issues. More about Kim Barker

Anton Troianovski is the Moscow bureau chief for The Times. He writes about Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. More about Anton Troianovski

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14 Incredible Destinations If You Need Peace and Relaxation

Daily stress can take its toll on your mind and body, which is why sometimes you just need to get completely out of your element to really relax. A peaceful getaway can not only rejuvenate your body but also clear your mind so you're totally refreshed when it's finally time to get back to the real world. And isn't that the point of taking a vacation in the first place?

The most relaxing place to go, however, depends on your personal preference. For some, a relaxing vacation might mean soaking up the sun on a tropical beach, while for others it might mean following a trail on a windy coastline with few other people in sight. No matter where you go, you're bound to find a place that's dedicated to your tranquility. We scoured our favorite places around the world and found the destinations where we hope you will find your next relaxing vacation.

Kauai, Hawaii

There are many relaxing places in Hawaii, but Kauai is particularly special. Known as the Garden Island, here you can find empty beaches like Lumahai Beach, as well as breathtaking landscapes like the vast Waimea Canyon State Park. You can also book a sunset cruise of the Nāpali Coast with a tour company like Holo Holo Charters to appreciate the island's unique geology from the water. To help you make your vacation the most relaxing possible, there are many wonderful resorts on the island like Koloa Landing , where you can enjoy sprawling grounds and spacious rooms and suites big enough for the whole family.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

What could be more idyllic than strolling the cape and exploring lighthouses? This town is the home of the Cape Elizabeth Light (or Two Lights Lighthouse) which has been active since 1874. In addition to the interesting history and classic New England architecture, Cape Elizabeth is one of the best places to get juicy lobster. You will find plenty of tranquility here on the rocks, and also at accommodations like Inn by the Sea , one of Maine's best luxury hotels with relaxing in-room amenities like cozy fireplaces and soaking tubs.

Banff National Park, Canada

Banff National Park is chock-full of amazing scenery and crystalline lakes, but Lake Louise might be the best (and most relaxing) of them all. Campers and hikers alike can settle by its perfectly blue waters and gaze at mountain views that seem almost too pristine to be real — luckily, it is. And it's quite possibly the perfect relaxing vacation for lovers of the great outdoors, whether you want to hike or just set yourself up in a landmark hotel like Fairmont Banff Springs .

Tenorio Volcano National Park, Costa Rica

Located in northern Costa Rica , Tenorio Volcano National Park is one of the country's most incredible natural wonderlands, without the crowds that tend to go to parks closer to the coast. Here, Rio Celeste is known for its vivid blue color, almost unlike any other waterfall in the world. The bright color is caused by a reaction of the volcanic chemicals in the water, but against the tropical backdrop and rushing waters, it looks magical. Nearby, you'll also find one of the most beautiful jungle hotels in the world, the Rio Celeste Hideaway Hotel .

East Sussex, England

Lovers of pastoral landscapes and dramatic coastlines will find their paradise in the southern reaches of England. Rolling green hills and proximity to the English Channel make Seven Sisters the quintessential countryside you've read about in Victorian novels. You'll also find the iconic white chalk cliffs if you decide to take a stroll there. For golfers who love nothing more than to unwind on the green, the nearby East Sussex National Resort boasts two championship courses.

Nordfjord, Norway

Nordfjord is one of the top destinations in Norway thanks to its breathtaking views. Visitors can take a long, slow pleasure cruise along the fjord and see a wide array of sights including glaciers, mountains, and the open sea — all in just a two-hour trip . If you visit during the winter, you may be able to see the northern lights , which will no doubt add to the already awe-inspiring scenery of the fjords.

Blue Lagoon, Iceland

Makito Umekita/Travel + Leisure

The Blue Lagoon is by far the most popular tourist destination that Iceland has to offer. This geothermal spa is located in a lava field and attached to a world-renowned resort , where you can soak in the warm waters even when the temperatures are freezing outside. Choose the Lagoon Suite for direct access to the waters from your room. After you've soaked your stress away, Iceland has many empty and scenic landscapes that you can explore during your relaxing vacation.

The Ionian Islands, Greece

Home to the Instagram-famous Navagio Beach, the Ionian Islands are some of the most popular for travelers in Greece . You'll find the most peace and quiet on the under-the-radar island of Paxos where there are few resorts but many lovely vacation homes. On the island of Zakynthos, there are many other towns and beaches gorgeous enough to make anyone scrolling through your Instagram swoon with envy, including Navagio and the remains of the cargo ship MV Panagiotis that got stuck there in 1980 during a storm.

Provence, France

Lose yourself in the gorgeous vineyards and captivating views of the Alps while you're in this famous French region — but know it's not all wine here. Provence is celebrated for its biodiversity and famous for olive groves, pine forests, and lavender fields, as well as grapes. Nice, Marseille, the French Riviera, and Avignon are all popular places to visit while in the region. Settle in a lush countryside retreat for your relaxing vacation like the lavender-surrounded Coquillade Provence Resort & Spa , named the best resort in France by Travel + Leisure readers in 2022 .

Whitsunday Islands National Park, Australia

Irjaliina Paavonpera/Travel + Leisure

Australia is a massive country with lots of wide-open spaces to plan a relaxing vacation, but if you go offshore to the Whitsunday Islands, located off the coast of Queensland near the Great Barrier Reef, you can visit one of the world's most beautiful beaches . On Whitehaven Beach, the pure white silica sand and emerald waters create a gorgeous palette of colors that is a feast for the senses. If you go north to Hill Inlet, you'll see a mesmerizing swirl of white and blue, created by shifting sands and water.

Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

In Kenya, many travelers visit the Maasai Mara in hopes of seeing wild animals and to experience a stay in a luxury safari camp. Wild animals may not be everyone's idea of relaxation, but adventurers in need of some repose can journey to the Saruni Samburu Safari Camp , which offers a Wellbeing Space with a pool, spa, and dining areas. After a morning game drive, you can let the adrenaline simmer down with a spa treatment or a few sips of wine with a view.

Bali, Indonesia

In Indonesia, the island of Bali has become synonymous these days with yoga retreats in the jungles of Ubud and the beaches of Canggu. You'll find plenty of luxury resorts and hotels on the island, as well as beaches and historic temples. Beyond enjoying the relaxed, coastal living that travelers have come to expect from a trip to Bali , capturing the colorful sunset (or sunrise) along the shallow waters of Sanur Beach is a must-do. Plus, we've already got the pack list you need to get started.

Ise Shima National Park, Japan

Located on the coastline east of Osaka , Ise Shima is a national park that encompasses a thriving mainland forest and many islands waiting to be explored. Peace and quiet don't begin to describe the beauty of Ise Jingu, a grand Shinto shrine located in the park and dedicated to the Japanese goddess Amaterasu. Even though it's a widely known tourist attraction, the shrine complex maintains its tranquility. It is one of the holiest places in Japan , and people often go there to revere its architecture, natural scenery, and historical significance.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

If you're looking for serene blue and green waters, look no further than Halong Bay. This beautiful body of water is most popular with boat lovers who want to spend some days on the water, or perhaps exploring the limestone islands and coastal forests. The area is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site since it's home to dozens of species of plants and animals. You'll find lots of places to stay around the bay, but the best way to experience this destination is by hopping aboard a cruise ship so you can catch every angle of this relaxing destination.

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Melissa Fail was an amazing travel agent! It was our first time ever using someone to help us plan out our trip, and we were NOT at all disappointed. In fact, we were absolutely delighted to have her help us out! She listened very attentively not only to exactly what we asked for, but did a great job interpreting the type of vacation that we wanted. Consequently, she offered several outstanding suggestions and add-ons.

Perhaps most valuable to us is that we are a bit hard to deal with, and had some changes here-and-there. Melissa rolled with the punches, and made the planning process a real pleasure.

I would highly recommend that you get Melissa to help you out on your European (or any other) adventure!

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Dream | Plan | Relax

After working together for many years in the travel industry, we decided it was time to open our own travel agency dedicated to helping our clients get the most out of time spent with their loved ones on vacations. We wanted to combine our expertise, passion for travel, and love for helping others to create a travel agency that would handle all the planning, help our clients relax throughout the planning process and enjoy their dream vacation! We share a love for the Lord, a love for family, and a love for travel that makes this new agency such a blessing. We can't wait to get to work on your trip!

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Best Things To Do in Kursk, Russia

Have you ever visited a new place and felt ‘wow’ about it? For many visitors, it happens at Kursk.

Kursk may not be as popular as other cities in Russia, but don’t let that fool you. Kursk is a smaller but beautiful upcoming tourist destination that is worth a visit. You will be surprised by some of the unique things to do and places you can explore at this hidden destination.

You might wish to revisit it someday again, to take a break and relax at Kursk.

If you have plans to visit Russia and are not sure if Kursk should be included in your itinerary, keep reading. In this list, we have put together some of the things to do in Kursk and around. We have a hunch that if you include this city in your travel plans, you will be thrilled you did so.

Tourist Attractions in Kursk

Here is the list of things to do in Kursk and tourist attractions in city.

Kursk Vostochny Airport

Address: Kursk Vostochny Airport, Kursk, Russia Ulitsa Aeroporta, Kursk, Kurskaya oblast', Russia, 305040

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