Russia’s war on Ukraine. 13.08.24

In the operational zone of the Ukrainian Operational Group of Forces (OTG) “Kharkiv” on the Kharkiv direction, the enemy attacked defensive positions near Tykhe and Vovchansk 3 times.

In the “Khortytsia” Operational-Strategic Group of Forces (OSG) operational zone on the Kupyansk direction, there were 12 combat engagements, particularly near Berestove, Stelmakhivka, Hlushkivka, Novoosynove, Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Kruhlyakivka, and Andriivka. On the Lyman direction, Russian invaders attacked Ukrainian positions 25 times near Nevske, Makiivka, Terny, and Torske. On the Siversk direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled 4 enemy assaults in the areas of Verkhnyokamianske and Spirne. On the Kramatorsk direction, 7 battles occurred near Chasiv Yar and Bohdanivka. On the Toretsk direction, Russians attacked Ukrainian troops 10 times near Zalizne, Toretsk, and New York.

In the “Tavriya” OSG operational zone, on the Pokrovsk direction, 50 battles took place near Kalynove, Sukha Balka, Yelyzavetivka, Zelene Pole, Novooleksandrivka, Hrodivka, Mykolaivka, Zhelanne, Skuchne, Panteleimonivka, Tymofiivka, Novozhelanne, and Ptyche.  On the Kurakhove direction, the enemy attacked Ukrainian Defense Forces’ positions 8 times near Paraskoviivka, Kalynove, Heorhiivka, Krasnohorivka, and Kostyantynivka. On the Vremivka direction, the enemy conducted 6 offensive actions towards Vodyane, Kostyantynivka, and Vuhledar. On the Orikhiv direction, 2 enemy assaults near Novoandriivka were unsuccessful.

In the operational zone of “Odesa” OSG on the Prydniprovskiy direction, the enemy also suffered defeats, attacking Ukrainian Defense Forces’ positions 6 times.

General conclusion:

• Units of the enemy’s “Sever (North)” Operational Grouping near Vovchansk are attempting to improve their logistics, establish control, and fortify their positions northwest of Tykhe.
• Russian forces have increased the number of strikes with guided glide bombs on border villages in Sumy Oblast to approximately 40-50 bombs per day, targeting infrastructure facilities in the Oblast.
• Russian forces are far from stabilizing the situation in Kursk Oblast, partially due to poor command and control.
• The “Tavriya” OSG command has minimized the threat of encirclement of its units, which previously held positions in the eastern part of New York and generally east of the Nelypivka-New York line.
• The pace of the enemy’s advance has started to slow down again, although in the areas of the 30th and 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades, the enemy is still making some progress.
• The enemy has been engaged in combat for six days to capture the village of Zhelanne on the direction of their main offensive but has not yet fully taken control of it.
• The enemy made four massive attempts to break into the village of Hrodivka from the direction of Vesele but did not achieve significant success.
• The enemy has stalled in front of Karlivka and the Karlivka Reservoir and is facing difficulties in further increasing its efforts.
• The noticeable weakening of the adjacent flank of the enemy’s “Tsentr (Center)” and “Yug (South)” Operational Groupings (between the 2nd and 8th Combined Arms Armies) and their simultaneous attempts to advance toward Pokrovsk create the conditions for a “Tavriya” OSG flanking strike.
• There is a trend of narrowing the assault sectors of the forward units of the 2nd and 41st Combined Arms Armies while simultaneously attempting to maintain the pace of the advance.
• The simultaneous offensive by the 2nd Combined Arms Army on two fronts, toward Vozdvyzhenka and in the Zhelanne area, indicates an increasing need to concentrate forces and resources, leading to regular troop regrouping within the army.
• The course of combat operations on the Pokrovsk direction suggests that reserves will not be redeployed from this direction to Kursk Oblast.
• The offensive operation of Ukrainian Defense Forces in Kursk Oblast has the potential to draw in enemy reserves, including strategic ones.

Change in the line of contact (LoC):

• There were 133 combat engagements on various fronts.
• On the Kursk Direction: Ukrainian Defense Forces have captured 29 towns and villages in Kursk Oblast, advancing up to 24 km into enemy territory. Fighting continues between Snagost and Plekhovo, to the north and south of Korenevo, where Ukrainian Defense Forces are attempting to bypass the town. Ukrainian forces have advanced within the Kremyanoe area, east of the village of Zhuravli towards Obshchiy Kolodets, in the wooded zone to the north and east of Semenovka, and towards Kauchuk.
• Ukrainian Defense Forces have opened new fronts in the western part of Kursk Oblast near Slobodka-Ivanovka, Tetkino, Gordeevka, Uspenka, and Viktorovka, taking control of Slobodka-Ivanovka, Uspenovka, Viktorovka, and Spalnoe, and continue fighting near Sudzha, in the northern part of Zaoleshentsy, in the northern part of Giryi, and in Daryino. They have entered from Sumy Oblast into Belgorod Oblast, northwest of Grayvoron, near Kolotilovka, Prelesye, and Bezymyannoye.
• On the Kharkiv direction, Russian forces made slight advances in the center of Vovchansk, with ongoing battles in the city and near Tykhe.
• Ukrainian Defense Forces conducted drone airstrikes near Hlyboke, Zelene, and Starytsya.
• On the Kupyansk direction, Russian forces pushed Ukrainian Defense Forces’ units out of several positions south of Berestove, advanced south of Novoselivske, and are advancing on several sectors towards the N26 Kupiansk-Svatove highway, though the battles remain positional. The enemy attacked near Pishchane, Stelmakhivka, Hlushkivka, and Novoosynove.
• On the Lyman direction, Russian forces attacked near Makiivka, Nevske, Novosadove, Terny, Torske, and in the area of the Serebriansk Forest.
• On the Siversk Direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces advanced south of Ivano-Dariivka and regained control over previously lost positions. Russian forces continued their offensive near Bilohorivka, Verkhnyokamianske, Spirne, Ivano-Dariivka, and Vyimka.
• On the Kramatorsk direction, Russian forces advanced southeast of Hryhorivka. Fighting continued near Chasiv Yar, Kalynivka, Bohdanivka, Ivanivske, and Klishchiivka.
• On the Toretsk direction, Russian forces made slight advances in the southwestern part of Zalizne, in the center of Druzhba, in the western part of Pivnichne, and near Yuriivka. Fighting continued near Toretsk, Druzhba, Zalizne, in the area of New York, Nelypivka, and Sukha Balka. The forward units of the 74th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st Combined Arms Army, operating in the direction of Pivnichne-Toretsk, advanced along the Horlivka-Kostyantynivka road, in the central part of Pivnichne, near Toretsk Central City Hospital and the ATB supermarket. The 132nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade made minimal advances toward Panteleimonivka and Sukha Balka.
• In the line of advance of the 132nd Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps and the 35th Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st Combined Arms Army on the New York-Nelypivka direction, Ukrainian Defense Forces gradually withdrew from the eastern part of New York but continue to hold positions near the ponds, reclaiming positions in the western and central parts of New York.
• On the Pokrovsk direction, in the zone of advance of the 2nd Combined Arms Army and the 90th Tank Division, their forward units have been unable to advance since August 10. However, the forward units of the 30th and 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigades of the 2nd Combined Arms Army managed to take full control of Ivanivka.
• Using forces from the 27th Motorized Rifle Division of the 2nd Combined Arms Army and the 114th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 1st Army Corps, the enemy is attempting to eliminate the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ bridgehead on the eastern bank of the Vovcha River, located south of Novoselivka Persha, and to advance along the railway from the Serhiivka-Zhelanne line westward towards Novohrodivka.
• On the Kurakhove direction, Russian forces continued to attack near Krasnohorivka, Heorhiivka, Kostyantynivka, and Vodyane, but there were no changes on the front line.
• On the Vremivka direction, Russian forces continued shelling near Vuhledar.
• On the Orikhiv direction, battles continued near Robotyne, Novodanylivka, Mala Tokmachka, Verbove, and Hulyaipole.
• In the Black Sea-Azov naval operational area, the enemy naval group on combat duty consists of:
  • Black Sea: 1 ship, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 4 cruise missiles.  
  • Mediterranean Sea: 2 ships, including 1 cruise missile carrier; the total salvo is 4 cruise missiles.

Escalation indicators:

• Successful development of the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ operation in the Russian Kursk Oblast.

Possible operation situation developments:

• Stagnation of battles is expected on the Vremivka and Kurakhove directions, and later on the Kharkiv, Kupyansk, and Lyman directions.
• The Russian military command on the Kursk direction will have to quickly deploy a second echelon of additional troops and assets (reserves), as the troops of its first echelon will not be able to stop the offensive of the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ Operational Maneuver Group.
• 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.
• On the Pokrovsk direction, the enemy will attempt to advance to the Orlivka-Mykolaivka line.

Russian operational losses from 24.02.22 to 13.08.24  

Personnel – almost 593,160 (+1160); 

Tanks 8,455 (+5);

Armored combat vehicles – 16,385 (+17); 

Artillery systems – 16,764 (+36);

Multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) – 1,146 (0);

Anti-aircraft warfare systems – 920 (+1);

Vehicles and fuel tanks – 22,649 (+59);

Aircraft – 366 (0);

Helicopters – 328 (0);

UAV operational and tactical level – 13,491 (+19);

Intercepted cruise missiles – 2,426 (0);

Boats/ships – 29 (0).

Humanitarian+general:

• On the night of August 13, Russians attacked Ukraine with two Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and 38 Shahed-type attack drones, 30 of which were destroyed by Ukrainian defenses.
• On the same night, Russian occupiers targeted critical infrastructure in the city of Sumy, resulting in one person being injured. Part of the city was left without electricity and gas supply.
• On Monday, August 12, between 18:20 and 18:35, there was a massive missile strike on Bohodukhiv in Kharkiv Oblast and nearby settlements. At least five hits were recorded. Four minors were injured due to the missile strikes, and three women sought medical assistance. Preliminary findings suggest that one of the missiles used was a KN-23 (or KN-24), also known as Hwasong-11.
• Throughout the day, the Russian army attacked the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast using “Grad” systems and heavy artillery. A 33-year-old man who was injured in the attack later died in the hospital. 
• At around 16:00, Russian forces shelled the town of Beryslav in Kherson Oblast, injuring a 48-year-old woman.
• In the territory of Donetsk Oblast, which is under Ukrainian control, there are still 2,235 children who need to be evacuated forcibly.
• Currently, 2,155 orphaned Ukrainian children and those deprived of parental care are abroad due to forced evacuation as a result of Russian aggression.
• Ukrainian families with six children managed to escape from the Russian-occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Oblasts. According to the parents, while in occupation, their children were forced to attend Russian schools where they were involved in celebrations of the aggressor country’s holidays. Ukrainian citizens were also pressured to obtain Russian documents, and armed Russians conducted unwarranted searches in their homes.
• The acting governor of Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Alexei Smirnov, announced that evacuees from Kursk would be relocated to the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
• In temporarily occupied Crimea, Russian security forces conducted searches and interrogations of six members of the religious organization “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” A criminal case has been initiated against one elderly believer.

Centre for Defence Strategies (CDS) is a Ukrainian security think tank. We operate since 2020.

We publish this brief daily. If you would like to subscribe, please send us an email at cds.dailybrief@gmail.com

The CDC Daily Brief is produced with the support of the Kyiv School of Economics https://kse.ua/

Please note, that we subscribe only verified persons and can decline or cancel the subscription at our own discretion

We are an independent, non-government, non-partisan, and non-profit organization. More at www.defence.org.ua

Our Twitter (in English) – https://twitter.com/defence_centre

Our Facebook (in Ukrainian) – https://www.facebook.com/cds.UA

Our brief is for information only and we verify our information to the best possible extent