Iskanders, Glide Bombs, Thermobaric Weapons, Rockets and Smoothbore Cannon: Russia Rains Hell on Ukrainian Forces in Kursk

Military Watch:

Iskanders, Glide Bombs, Thermobaric Weapons, Rockets and Smoothbore Cannon: Russia Rains Hell on Ukrainian Forces in Kursk

August-11th-2024

Russian Su-25 Launches Unguided Rockets Against Targets in Kursk

The Ukrainian Armed Forces and a number of allied contractor groups and paramilitaries initiated an offensive into the Russian Kursk and Belgorod regions on August 6, with an estimated 15,000 personnel having been committed to the offensive equipped with T-64 and Leopard tanks, BuK-M1 mobile air defences, and reportedly well over 100 drones of various classes among other equipment. 

Personnel involved have included the Russian Volunteer Corps, a pro-Western insurgent group that has received Western training and equipment, as well as contractors from NATO member states - which unconfirmed reports indicate are of Polish origin possibly members of the Polish Volunteer Corps paramilitary group. 

The incursion has made steady progress into Kursk over six days, with forces advancing 10 kilometres by the end of August 7, and controlling over 100 square kilometres of territory by the end of August 9, sparking concerns in Russia that nearby nuclear and natural gas facilities could be placed at risk. The offensive has been supported by precision strikes from a range of unmanned vehicles and other assets such as HIMARS rocket artillery systems and OTR-21 Tochka ballistic missiles. 

Western leaders and media outlets have consistently expressed strong support for the attacks, which the Bundestag's Defense Committee Chair Marcus Faber referred to as a “completely legitimate operation” reflecting the broader Western consensus.

German-Built Leopard Tanks Advance in Kursk


Ukrainian and allied forces’ ability to gain ground quickly in Kursk has fuelled considerable criticism of the Russian Armed Forces’ perceived inability to safeguard the country’s territory domestically, although also fuelling speculation that Russia intends to stretch offensive forces and potentially press Ukraine to commit more forces before inflicting a crippling blow. 

Footage released on August 10-11 has shown a very significant escalation of Russian attacks on Ukrainian and Western forces in the era, which has now emerged as an epicentre of the fighting. 

While it remains uncertain what Ukraine may seek to achieve with the offensive, its success has the potential to provide a much needed boost to morale as the country continues to lose ground and take unsustainable personnel and equipment losses in the wider conflict. 

An attack on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which is the largest in the world, has the potential to cause a major incident and spark an unprecedented escalation of the conflict, with a number of sources speculating that this could be the final objective of the assault. The Russian National Guard has strengthened security around the facility.

Explosion After Russian Glide Bomb Strike on Target in Kursk


Footage released by the Russian Defence Ministry on August 10 has shown Iskander-M ballistic missile systems being used to strike Ukrainian targets in the Kursk region, including a mobile command post of the 22nd Separate Mechanised Brigade in the area. It has also been confirmed that Western contractors near the southern outskirts of the town of Sudzha were targeted in an air strike using thermobaric weapons, killing 15 personnel. 

The Russian Air Force has deployed Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-35 fighters to launch glide bombs against targets in the area, with positions near the internationally recognised Russian-Ukrainian border reportedly being particularly singled out. Footage released on August 11 has shown lighter Su-25 attack jets, which are optimised for close air support missions at lower altitudes, being deployed to fire air to surface rockets at “a cluster of manpower, armoured and automotive military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces” in the border area of the Kursk region. 

Dubbed the ‘flying tank,’ the Su-25 is broadly analogous to the American A-10 attack jet in its role, and is heavily armoured to allow it to launch high risk low altitude strikes.

Russian T-72B3M Tank in Kursk on August 8


Alongside fixed wing aviation assets, footage has also confirmed the deployment of the Russian Army and Navy’s top classes of attack helicopters, the Mi-28 and Ka-52, to provide close air support against Ukrainian and Western forces in Kursk, with both classes confirmed to be employing unguided rocket artillery among other munitions. 

On August 11 it was confirmed that Russia’s primary class of main battle tank, the T-72B3M, had been deployed in the area, with the Defence Ministry reporting that the vehicles “took up firing positions in tank approach routes and destroyed mobile armoured groups of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area of the Kursk region.” 

While Russian military officials have indicated that the annihilation of Ukrainian forces in Kursk is likely to mark a turning point in the broader war in Russia’s favour, there has been considerable uncertainty regarding the extent to which such statements have been intended primarily to defect criticism and raise morale, or whether they reflect actual assessments regarding the potential implications for Ukraine of losing over 10,000 personnel and associated equipment after overstretching their forces into Russian territory. 

The fact that forces deployed for the incursion are among Ukraine’s best armed and trained means their loss would have very significant implications, far exceeding the fallout from losing conscripts with limited training and lower end more abundant equipment.