Ukrainian forces make surprising gains in Kursk offensive

There is an ongoing Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region. The attack surprised the Russians and has already caused them numerous losses. Evidence suggests that the Ukrainians have deployed significant forces, including elite and well-equipped brigades. Among their arsenal is Western armored equipment. But what weapons are being used during the offensive?

Ukrainian forces crossed the border with Russia on August 6. The Center for Eastern Studies estimates that initially, it was two platoons—several dozen soldiers—equipped with three tanks. Reinforcements quickly joined them. A few hours after the operation began, about 400 soldiers, 11 tanks, and 20 armored fighting vehicles may have crossed the border. Including forces on the Ukrainian side, the entire group could number up to 2,000 soldiers.

It is difficult to obtain reliable information on the size of the current fighting forces. The Russian channel Dwa Majora, which has sources close to the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, claims that up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers might now be in the Kursk region. Jarosław Wolski, a Polish defense analyst, notes that the Ukrainians have committed significant forces and that their movements "do not look like raid actions."

The Center for Eastern Studies reports that at least two Ukrainian brigades are certainly participating in the fighting near Kursk. These are the 82nd Air Assault Brigade and the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, among the best-equipped in the entire Ukrainian army. Referred to as elite units, their assault is supported by artillery subunits and many drones. The heavy equipment used particularly attracts attention.

The 82nd Air Assault Brigade uses HMMWV multi-purpose vehicles and the Stryker M1132, a specialized variant of the American Stryker armored vehicle, in the ongoing offensive.

Its additional equipment includes an LWMR (Light-Weight Mine Roller) mine plow. Thanks to such a vehicle, Ukrainians can efficiently penetrate Russian minefields near the border. Moreover, the Stryker M1132 can automatically send information about marked safe paths to accompanying vehicles.

Members of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade were given a few British Challenger 2 tanks and German Marder infantry fighting vehicles. The first photos suggesting that the Marders have also crossed the Russian border have appeared on social media. This would mean that German armored equipment is on Russian territory for the first time since 1944 (at least in a combat role).

The Marder in the 1A3 version provided to the Ukrainians has an engine with 600 horsepower and tracks. Its armament includes a 20 mm automatic cannon, 7.62 mm machine guns, a Milan anti-tank guided missile launcher with a range of about 1 mile, and a smoke grenade launcher.

There is considerable interest in the remaining equipment used by the 22nd Mechanized Brigade. Although confirmed information about the types of vehicles it uses in the Kursk region is still lacking, it is worth noting that this unit uses Polish PT-91 Twardy tanks. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the "Free Russia" Legion already used these tanks in Russia against the local army during the offensive in the Belgorod region.

The Ukrainian brigade's armament largely consists of Soviet-era equipment and its modifications. After the outbreak of the war, it was also equipped with BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles, BM-21 rocket launchers, 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, and T-72 tanks, including the T-72AMT and T-72 Ural. Western reinforcements mainly include HMMWV vehicles.

The successes of the Ukrainians are aided by the fact that less numerous, poorly trained, and less well-equipped Russian units were stationed in the Kursk region. This is evident from initial losses, such as T-62M tanks. These designs from the 1980s are upgrades of the 1960s T-62 tanks. They have a 115 mm gun but lack modern optical devices and are poorly armored. They do not represent significant value on the modern battlefield and can be destroyed even with drones.

A much more valuable "trophy" for the Ukrainians is the downing of the Ka-52 Alligator helicopter. This is currently the best attack helicopter in Russian service. It has been in production since 2008, with the value of one unit estimated at around $16 million.

According to information on social media, several Russian helicopters have already been destroyed during the offensive near Kursk. Some have been documented. A notable case is the destruction of a Russian Mi-28 helicopter with the help of an FPV drone (First Person View). Ukrainian media emphasize that this is the first such case in history.