Russia's plan to narrow AFU bridgehead in Kursk failed; it recruits North Koreans. Serhiy Zgurets' column

Situation in the Kursk region

A total of 292 combat engagements were registered in the frontline on December 14. The hottest spots were in the Pokrovsk, Kurakhove and Kursk directions. In the Kursk region, 57 combat engagements were recorded. In his address, Zelenskyy mentioned the importance of the situation in the Kursk region, emphasizing that it takes strength to achieve the right results for Ukraine. He emphasized that this strength should be in diplomacy, but for this it is necessary to hold the Kursk region, where the Russians have launched a third offensive since early November.

The purpose of the offensive was to narrow the area held by the Ukrainian military. The offensive took place in three directions: along the Rylsk-Korenevo road to Sudzha, from the north through Pogrebki to Malaya Loknya, and from the east from Sudzha to Plyokhovo.

To summarize the month of the third counteroffensive, the Russians achieved minor success: they leveled the gray zone near Olgovka and captured Plyokhovo. The Russian plan to narrow our bridgehead by a third and limit the advance of Ukrainian units was not realized.

The Russian army continues its assault operations, but suffers enormous losses. Between November 4 and December 2, they lost 135 armored vehicles, while Ukrainian losses were one-third less. The Russian enormous losses are due to the effective operation of Ukrainian weapons.

In the Kursk region, the Russians are interacting with North Korean units. The military are moving across the open field in groups and being destroyed by cluster munitions and FPV drones. Ukrainian soldiers from Hornet Group comment that the North Koreans have not seen Ukrainian drones yet, so they are behaving quite relaxed. The Russian losses are significant, and language problems and unproven tactics cause additional losses. Ukraine's intelligence reports that the Russians are replenishing the North Koreans' ranks for further offensive actions.

The enemy's third assault brought no significant changes to the bridgehead. After capturing a section, its area shrank to 600 square kilometers, but the front line remains stable. Ukrainian forces counterattack actively with Western equipment. Ukrainian armored losses often result from Russia's use of fiber-optic drones, while Russian losses are driven by Ukrainian extensive mining, which effectively destroys Russian light armored vehicles used in most advances.

Holding the Kursk bridgehead is of significant military-political importance. Russia has concentrated over 50,000 troops there. Ukrainian forces will hold this position as long as possible, inflicting losses on the enemy, aligning with the strategy for this front.

Chasiv Yar

The Russian forces have been assaulting Chasiv Yar for a long time. It is a key high ground and an important defensive line for us, held by Ukrainian brigades. The Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal complicates the Russian advance, though in some areas they have crossed it. The Russian troops are attempting to attack the refractory plant, which is well-defended on the Ukrainian side but remains a priority target. Another direction of their advance is from Ivankivske to Stupochky, where they are also pressuring the Ukrainian defenses.

Vitalii Piasetskyi, acting chief sergeant of Ukraine's 93rd Brigade, which is holding the line near Chasiv Yar, told what is happening in the brigade's area of responsibility.

"Our brigade is not positioned directly in the Chasiv Yar direction but slightly to the south. Currently, no significant changes in Russia's tactics are observed. Assaults are carried out exclusively by small infantry groups. The Russians are trying to identify weak spots in our positions using small infantry units. They attempt to infiltrate, hide, accumulate, and launch assaults under favorable conditions.  

Recent weather conditions have significantly complicated the situation, impacting the use of both reconnaissance and strike drones. The Russian army is trying to take advantage of strong winds, rain, and frost to advance. Our drones currently cannot penetrate deep into Russian positions, giving them some freedom of movement. Their groups move in small units of 5-6 soldiers. We fire at them using barrel artillery, but we are facing certain issues with available weapons, especially ammunition. As a result, it is not always possible to react in time," he explained.

According to him, direct firefights involving small arms are infrequent, as the Ukrainian Armed Forces focus on timely detecting where the Russians are hiding and striking them. Ukrainian soldiers are forced to let the Russians approach closer to the line of contact to deliver more effective strikes, due to limited ammunition supplies.  

The Russian use of cluster munitions has decreased.

“Earlier, five or six or more guided bombs could appear in a day, sometimes even up to several dozen, but now their number has decreased. For example, the last ones I saw and heard were the day before yesterday and yesterday morning in one village. But the number has decreased significantly. I don't know what this is due to - whether the air defense response is effective or weather conditions affect the Russian use of guided bombs, but it is a fact," said Piasetskyi.

The serviceman explained how the selection of sergeants and the expansion of this management layer in the brigade takes place. Typically, sergeants are service members with certain combat experience who demonstrate their leadership qualities. The chief sergeant of the brigade or the person acting in their role cannot personally select all the sergeants.

"The team works effectively only when the leader knows how to delegate authority and assemble a team, that is, the senior sergeants of the battalions, and control their work. They conduct a certain selection process. These are people who have leadership qualities, are specialists in a specific type of weaponry, and are respected by other service members. Unfortunately, war imposes certain requirements on a sergeant, such as the need to undergo specific training. To do this, a service member needs to be sent for training, but military operations don't support this. Not every unit commander can afford to send a qualified sergeant for long-term training," he explained.

Piasetskyi believes that training should be adapted to combat conditions. It may be worthwhile to implement intensive courses closer to the front lines, where necessary knowledge can be provided in conditions that reflect current combat operations. This would allow for more effective preparation of sergeants to perform their tasks.

"The best experience is accumulated at the brigade level or within specific units. For example, in our brigade, there are instructors with combat experience who pass it on to new soldiers or those who join through recruitment. Often, this combat experience, accumulated at the brigade level, can only move forward with those who are transferred to training centers, where they teach new recruits or sergeants. That’s why we try to pass on combat experience within the brigade. When new reinforcements come to us, we are often forced to retrain them because the conditions of warfare are constantly changing," he added.

Drone missile Peklo

According to Ukrainian Pravda, the missile was developed over the course of a year as a private initiative. The developers invested several million of their own funds into the project. The missile is now being produced in series, with 100 units made in the last three months and five successful uses against the enemy. The drone missile or cruise missile has a range of up to 700 km and a speed of 700 km/h.

The president said that at least 3,000 cruise missiles are planned to be produced next year. This arsenal also includes Palianytsia, Ruta, and Neptune missiles. In other words, the arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is growing, allowing them to strike at Russian territory without restriction. Now everything depends on scaling up and increasing the number of these missiles in the arsenal of Ukraine's army to destroy enemy targets.