RFU News

This report highlights critical developments across key sectors of the frontline. Ukrainian forces face varied challenges and opportunities, with stability maintained in some areas and significant setbacks in others. In Kursk, North Korean troops, used as cannon fodder in Russian offensives, have made limited advances in Plekhovo. However, Ukrainian forces have established a new defensive line along the Psel River, maintaining control of the salient's northern sector. In Kupiansk, Russian assaults on this critical logistical hub have largely stalled. Ukrainian forces, particularly the 10th Mountain Brigade, successfully pushed back Russian attempts to establish bridgeheads across the Oskil River. In Chasiv Yar, Ukrainian troops have gained ground, securing the Refractory Plant and forcing Russian withdrawals from multiple tactical positions, including areas west of Klishchiivka. In Kurakhove, the situation is more dire. Russian forces now control most of the city’s urban area, threatening Ukrainian supply lines. However, Ukrainian troops maintain fortified positions in the industrial zone. In Velyka Novosilka, Russian advances have isolated the city by gaining fire control over key supply routes, raising questions about whether Ukrainian forces will entrench or evacuate. While Kursk, Kupiansk, and Chasiv Yar show resilience and gains for Ukrainian forces, urgent action is needed in Kurakhove and Velyka Novosilka to stabilize worsening situations.

In a bold escalation of its long-range strike capabilities, Ukraine has targeted key military and logistical hubs deep within Russian territory. Over recent days, coordinated drone and missile strikes have crippled airbases, ammunition depots, and industrial facilities in Rostov, Krasnodar, and Chechnya. These attacks, aimed at disrupting Russia’s Donbas offensive, showcase Ukraine’s ability to hit critical assets far from the frontline, significantly undermining Russian operational capabilities. The strikes have not only inflicted substantial damage on vital Russian infrastructure but also forced the Kremlin to redirect resources to repair efforts, creating new vulnerabilities across multiple fronts. This marks a decisive shift in Ukraine’s strategy, as it escalates the pressure on Russia’s logistical and industrial backbone while demonstrating its expanding technological and tactical reach.

Russian and North Korean forces in the Kursk direction face mounting setbacks as poor coordination and a critical language barrier undermine their offensive efforts. Despite reinforcements by Chechen special forces, a catastrophic miscommunication led to North Korean troops mistakenly firing on their Chechen allies, resulting in significant losses, including eight Akhmat Spetsnaz soldiers. These coordination failures reflect the broader challenges of integrating foreign troops, exacerbating the already disastrous outcomes of North Korean human wave assaults. Ukrainian forces have effectively exploited these vulnerabilities, employing a strategy that lures North Koreans into exposed positions before annihilating them with artillery and precision drone strikes. The inability of Russian forces to provide timely fire and armored support has left North Korean troops vulnerable, particularly as they attempt to cross open fields into the contested forests near Kruglenkoe. Ukrainian tactics continue to disrupt any significant buildup of enemy forces, stalling Russian advances toward the strategic target of Malaya Loknya and further weakening the combined offensive.

Russia’s faltering offensive in the Kursk salient has taken a desperate turn with the deployment of North Korean forces in a bold attempt to eliminate a key Ukrainian bridgehead east of the Psel River. Targeting Plekhovo, a village vital for preventing Ukrainian advances toward Borki and Giri, North Korean troops achieved a hard-fought breakthrough but at a staggering cost. Ukrainian intelligence reports reveal grim efforts by Russian forces to disguise their reliance on North Korean allies, including burning the faces of deceased troops to obscure their identities. Despite initial gains, subsequent operations, including a high-risk river crossing at Kurilovka, ended in catastrophic losses, leaving North Korean forces devastated and exposing the limits of their combat capabilities. This reliance on foreign troops underscores the Kremlin’s deepening logistical and strategic challenges, as Ukraine’s adaptive tactics continue to stymie Russian advances and exploit vulnerabilities on the battlefield.

Ukrainian forces have showcased remarkable tactical ingenuity in the ongoing defense of the Kursk salient, where North Korean units, integrated into Russian command, are making relentless attempts to break through toward Malaya Loknya. Despite their overwhelming numbers, North Korean forces have faced catastrophic setbacks due to Ukraine’s strategic adaptability and advanced battlefield tactics. By exploiting the North Koreans' reliance on massed infantry assaults, Ukrainians have transformed the attackers' numerical advantage into a critical vulnerability. Through a combination of precision artillery strikes, cluster munitions, and targeted counterattacks by special forces, Ukrainian defenders have inflicted severe losses and stalled the North Korean advance. This calculated approach not only thwarts immediate threats but also forces the North Koreans into a prolonged and unsustainable conflict, underscoring the resilience and resourcefulness of Ukraine's defensive operations.

Ukrainian defenders continue to adapt, inflicting severe losses on Russian and allied forces, while leveraging strategic counterattacks to maintain control and delay advances in critical regions. Kursk: Russian forces, joined by North Korean troops, launched extensive attacks aimed at fragmenting the Ukrainian salient. Despite marginal gains, North Korean units faced catastrophic losses due to outdated tactics and lack of coordination. Ukrainian HIMARS and artillery strikes decimated their forces, resulting in over a thousand casualties without achieving key objectives. Kupiansk: Russian advances near the Oskil River have stalled due to overextension and logistical challenges. Ukrainian forces, leveraging better supply networks, reclaimed key areas. While Russians aim to widen their spearhead southward, the situation remains relatively stable. Toretsk: Intense urban combat continues, with Russian forces facing slow progress and heavy losses. Ukrainian defenders employ scorched-earth tactics, collapsing buildings to deny Russian troops secure positions. Toretsk remains under Ukrainian control despite relentless pressure. Pokrovsk: As a critical logistical hub, Pokrovsk remains a focal point for Russian efforts. A Ukrainian error allowed temporary Russian gains in Shevchenko, but counterattacks halted their advance. Ukrainian forces have consolidated defenses, particularly in the south, creating formidable barriers to further encirclement attempts. Kurakhove: The city is under increasing pressure, with Russians controlling over half of the urban area and advancing along the Sukhi Yali River. Ukrainian forces maintain key industrial zones and supply routes but face the challenge of holding ground while preparing for potential withdrawals to protect personnel.

The North Korean forces, thrust into the modern conflict in the Kursk direction, have struggled to adapt to advanced warfare, particularly Ukraine’s drone operations. Decades of isolation have left their tactics outdated, rooted in Korean War-era strategies. Their inability to recognize or counter drone threats has led to catastrophic losses, with Ukrainian operators exploiting their lack of awareness. North Korean troops, unprepared for precision drone strikes, often panicked and resorted to ineffective small arms fire, further exposing themselves. Tactical errors, such as remaining at the forest edges and misunderstanding even simple drone diversions, compounded their vulnerabilities. These failures have resulted in significant casualties and may force Russian and North Korean commanders to halt operations to retrain their forces in counter-drone measures, delaying the Kursk counteroffensive.