Russia’s war on Ukraine. 09.08.24

In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational Group of Forces (OTG) “Kharkiv” on the Kharkiv direction, the occupiers launched 6 attacks near Vovchansk.

In the “Khortytsia” Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) operational zone on the Kupyansk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 3 enemy attacks in the areas of Synkivka, Petropavlivka, and in the direction of Hlushkivka. The fighting continues, but the situation remains under control. On the Lyman direction, the enemy attacked 22 times, attempting to advance towards the settlements of Makiivka, Terny, Nevske, and in the Serebriansk Forest. On the Siversk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 12 enemy assaults in the areas of Ivano-Dariivka, Verkhnyokamianske, Spirne, and Vyimka.  On the Kramatorsk direction,there were 10 combat engagements, with the enemy being active near Chasiv Yar, Kalynivka, and Ivanivske. With air support, the enemy made 8 attempts to breach defenses on the Toretsk direction, the enemy launched 11 attacks in the areas of Pivnichne, New York, Zalizne, and Toretsk, attacking Ukrainian positions near the settlements of Pivnichne, Zalizne, and New York.

In the “Tavriya” OSG operational zone, on the Pokrovsk direction, 20 enemy offensive and assault actions were repelled in the areas of Panteleimonivka, Novooleksandrivka, Vozdvyzhenka, Ivanivka, Zhelanne, Novoselivka Persha, and Yasnobrodivka. Ukrainian Defense Forces are taking measures to hold designated positions. On the Kurakhove direction, there were 3 combat engagements. The occupiers remained active, trying to advance in the areas of Krasnohorivka and Kostyantynivka, but Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled all attacks, and the enemy failed. On the Vremivka direction, there were 3 clashes in the direction of Vodyane and Vuhledar. On the Orikhiv direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled one enemy attack near Mala Tokmachka, with no success for the enemy.

General conclusion:

• Units of Ukrainian Defense Forces engaged in combat in the Russian Kursk Oblast have bypassed the Russian fortifications to the west and are advancing deeper into Russian territory.
• Four servicemen of the 24th “Aidar” Separate Assault Battalion of the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade captured 40 servicemen who were defending the village of Oleshnya in Kursk Oblast. Overall, more than 300 Russian soldiers surrendered to Ukrainian Defense Forces in the first 12 hours of the operation.
• During the first 24 hours of the operation, the Russian Armed Forces withdrew most of their forces from the area west of the Rylsk-Korenevo line. The personnel of the “Senezh” Special Operations Center were immediately redeployed to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant to organize its defense.
• The command of the enemy’s “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping is transferring elements of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps from the Kharkiv direction to the Kursk Oblast. The division has suffered losses in previous battles and has limited combat capability.
• Small mobile groups of Ukrainian Defense Forces have advanced to the villages of Kromskiye Byki and Molyutino (up to 35 kilometers from the international border and 17 kilometers southeast of Lgov in Kursk Oblast). These groups are not attempting to secure and hold captured positions. Ukrainian Defense Forces are effectively exploiting the low density of the enemy’s combat formations, quickly breaking through into the enemy’s territory and constantly maneuvering.
• If the Ukrainian Defense Forces secure victories near Anastasievka and Ivnytsia, it would result in the enemy losing control over almost the entire left flank of the Lgov-Sudzha district, affecting at least 15 villages. The chosen attack routes show a strategic balance, leveraging available road and rail networks, solid terrain, few villages, and the natural defense provided by the Mala Loknya and Ivnytsia rivers to shield the flanks of advancing units.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):

• There were 78 combat engagements on various fronts.
• On the Kursk Direction: Ukrainian Defense Forces have captured Sudzha and advanced towards Russkoye Poryechye, continuing north of Sudzha along the 38K-024 highway near Anastasyevka and Ivnitsa. They launched attacks in the Snagost area, near Olgovka, and reached Mala Loknya, the outskirts of Cherkasskoye Poryechye. The forces are active around Honcharivka, north of Zaoleshchenka, in Novoivanovka, and near Kruglyanske, Martinovka, Velikoye Soldatskoye, and Mirnoe. They have captured Goncharovka, Novoivanovka, and Bogdanovka. Fighting is ongoing near Korenevo. Ukrainian Defense Forces now control almost the entire Sudzha district and most of the Korenevo district, up to the outskirts of Korenevo town.
• The current front line is approximately 58 km long, with a penetration depth of up to 27 km. The main attack directions include the R-200 highway towards Sudzha, covered by the Olshana River on the left flank; the Nikolayevo-Daryino to Nizhniy Klyn direction, covered by the Snagost River; and the road from Lgov to Sudzha. The advancement towards Lgov could indicate that the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant may be one of the operation’s objectives.
• As artillery preparation began, Ukrainian forces targeted enemy positions near the “Sudzha” border crossing and in the villages of Sverdlivkovo, Oleshnya, and Nikolayevo-Daryino. Units of the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 42nd Motorized Rifle Division from the 58th Combined Arms Army, tasked with defending Russia’s state border, abandoned their positions and retreated along the R-200 highway towards Kursk.
• Ukrainian forces captured around 300 enemy soldiers.
• During the first three days of the operation, the Ukrainian Defense Forces clearly aimed to establish a security buffer zone by utilizing existing logistical routes, geographical conditions, and landscape features. Today, efforts are focused on advancing deeper into enemy territory towards the E38 highway, possibly targeting the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant.
• On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces continued offensive actions near Hlyboke, Vovchansk, and Tykhe, but the front line remained unchanged. Russian reserves were redeployed from Luhansk Oblast to the Vovchansk direction.
• Ukrainian forces counterattacked near Hlyboke.
• On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces attacked near Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Novoosynove, and Kolisnykivka.
• On the Lyman direction, fighting continued near Novoserhiivka, Nevske, Makiivka, Terny, and in the Serebriansk Forest.
• On the Siversk Direction, Russian forces continued offensive actions near Verkhnyokamianske, Ivano-Dariivka, Spirne, Vyimka, and Pereyizne.
• Ukrainian forces launched a HIMARS missile strike on the command post of the 2nd Battalion of the 51st Airborne Regiment of the 106th Airborne Division near Bohdanivka, Luhansk Oblast.
• On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces continued offensive actions near Chasiv Yar, Kalynivka, and Ivanivske.
• On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces continued their offensive near Toretsk, but the front line did not change. The enemy continued to advance within New York, and near Pivnichne and Zalizne.
• On the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces advanced to the outskirts of Hrodivka and near Lysychne and Ivanivka, captured Serhiivka, and continued offensive actions near Vozdvyzhenka, Kalynove, Novooleksandrivka, Zhelanne, Karlivka, and Yasnobrodivka.
• On the Kurakhove direction, Russian forces advanced southeast of Vodyane and continued offensive actions near Krasnohorivka, Kostyantynivka, Paraskoviivka, Vodyane, Volodymyrivka, and Vuhledar.
• On the Vremivka direction, Russian forces achieved minor successes south of Velyka Novosilka and the northeastern outskirts of Urozhaine.
• On the Orikhiv direction, Russian forces continued attacks near Robotyne and Mala Tokmachka.
• On the Prydniprovskiy direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks on the left bank of the Kherson region.
• In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
  • Black Sea: 2 ships, including 2 cruise missile carriers; the total salvo is 8 cruise missiles.  

Changes in the enemy disposition:

• The 163rd Tank Regiment of the 150th Motorized Rifle Division of the 8th Combined Arms Army is operating in the Kurakhove direction.
• The 61st Separate Marines Brigade of the Northern Fleet is operating on the islands in the Dnipro River Delta.
• Irregular formations of the so-called DPR are being transferred to the Kursk direction, including units of the “Pyatnashka” Brigade, the “Arbat” Special Purpose Battalion, and the “Night Wolves” drone detachment. Previously, the 217th Airborne Regiment of the 98th Airborne Division, which was restoring its combat capability after battles near Chasiv Yar, was stationed at the border with Ukraine; its presence is now being clarified.

Possible operation situation developments:

• To stabilize the situation in the Kursk Oblast, the Russian military command may consider several options to counter the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ incursion: deploying available forces and assets, including conscripted soldiers, FSB border troops, the National Guard, and other irregular forces already stationed near the international border; employing the “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping, either partially or in full; utilizing accumulated operational reserves; or conducting an airborne assault operation using the Russian Aerospace Forces.
• On the Kupyansk direction, in the operational zone of the 1st Tank Army, command of the enemy’s “Zapad (West)” Operational Grouping will attempt to reach the Oskil River in the Hlushkivka – Zahryzove sector, the Petropavlivka – Kurylivka line, and storm Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi railway junction. To bind the “Khortytsia” OSG forces, the enemy will exert frontal pressure on their positions in the Stepova Novoselivka area.
• In the near future, “Tavriya” OSG units will be forced to retreat westward beyond the Vovcha River under simultaneous pressure from the enemy’s 27th Motorized Rifle Division, 90th Tank Division, and 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. There is a high probability of an enemy breakthrough between Mezhove and Skuchne in the general direction of Komyshivka.
• The command of the enemy’s 150th Motorized Rifle Division and 110th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade is preparing to continue the offensive along the Krasnohorivka – Hostre railway in the near future, provided the situation stabilizes in the area of Pobieda village.

Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 09.08.24  

Personnel – almost 588,540 (+1030); 

Tanks 8,434 (+3);

Armored combat vehicles – 16,341 (+9); 

Artillery systems – 16,536 (+49);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,142 (0);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 916 (+2);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 22,371 (+86);

Aircraft – 366 (0);

Helicopters – 327 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 13,325 (+32);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,424 (0);

Boats/ships – 29 (0).

Humanitarian+general:

• In the early hours of August 9, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using 27 Shahed-type drones, all of which were successfully shot down.
• In the past four days, Russian forces have dropped 154 bombs on Sumy Oblast.
• Russian forces again targeted Dnipropetrovsk Oblast with artillery and drones. Two Shahed drones were downed over the region, with no casualties reported, though infrastructure was damaged.
• On the evening of August 8 and the night of August 9, Russian forces attacked the Kupiansk district in Kharkiv Oblast, causing fires. Four people were injured, and rescue workers operated under continuous enemy fire.
• Around noon, Russian occupiers struck Kostyantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, hitting a supermarket. A fire broke out, killing 14 people and injuring 43 others. People remain trapped under the rubble. Later in the day, Russian occupiers carried out another shelling of Kostyantynivka, resulting in injuries to two civilians.
• In the Kyiv district of Kharkiv, a Russian airstrike damaged a higher education institution, injuring at least one person.
• In Kharkiv Oblast on August 8, Russian shelling damaged eight emergency medical service vehicles and the facility housing its staff.
• In the village of Zelenivka, Kherson Oblast, a 77-year-old woman was injured due to Russian shelling.
• On August 9, around 15:20, the Russian Armed Forces shelled the village of Iziumske in the Borivka Hromada of Kharkiv Oblast. A 76-year-old man was killed. Private homes and outbuildings were damaged.
• Since the beginning of the large-scale invasion up to July 24 of the current year, 3,570 instances of the enemy using munitions containing hazardous chemicals have been recorded. In July alone, 358 cases of the use of hand gas grenades of the K-51 and RG-VO types, which are crowd control devices and prohibited for use in warfare, were documented and reported.

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