Ukraine's elite brigades pave path through Kursk's 'road of death'
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released a short video showcasing the "road of death" near Kursk. This 9-mile stretch is densely littered with remnants of Russian equipment, destroyed by one of Ukraine's elite brigades deployed to support the offensive in the Kursk region.
7:31 AM EDT, October 28, 2024
"This path is covered with destroyed enemy equipment, a burnt-out trail left by the enemy in defeat. Paratroopers and other units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine systematically destroyed enemy military equipment, leaving only ashes and debris," was posted on the General Staff's social media profile on X.
The Road of Death near Kursk
For the offensive in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian command deployed several units considered among the best-equipped and most well-trained. These include the 80th Air Assault Brigade, the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, and the elite 82nd Air Assault Brigade.
The 82nd Air Assault Brigade's equipment largely consists of gear supplied by NATO countries. This includes multipurpose vehicles like the HMMWV and Stryker M1132, German infantry fighting vehicles like the Marder, and British Challenger 2 tanks.
Challenger 2 enters the Kursk region
The Challenger 2 is one of the rare NATO tanks to appear on the front line, as Ukraine received only 14 of these. However, they provide significant reinforcement to the Ukrainian army. They are distinguished mainly by their multi-layered Chobham/Dorchester armor, which is considered the most resilient when introduced. This offensive context also features a rifled L30A1 120 mm gun and two 7.62 mm machine guns.
From the video shared by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it appears the 9-mile stretch in the Kursk region is marked by remnants mainly of older Russian tanks. Wrecks of T-72s are also visible, along with BTR family armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles. The scale of destruction involves roughly 200 various Russian constructions.
Problems for Ukrainians in the Kursk region are increasing
Observers of the war in Ukraine, including analysts from ISW, believe that the Russians will make every effort to push Ukrainians out before late fall or early winter.
Unexpectedly, they are gaining ground not only because of the deployment of newer armored equipment, such as T-90M tanks, which are considered the best in the Russian army and have appeared in the Kursk region, but also due to the use of drones controlled via fiber-optic cables that are not susceptible to electronic warfare systems.
