Ukraine’s offensive actions in Russia’s Belgorod: military expert names two key takeaways

He discussed this on Espreso TV.

"The offensive actions in the Belgorod region began 5-6 days ago, specifically in the villages of Demidovka and Grafovka. Units from one of Ukrainian assault battalions and elements of individual brigades carried out operations, penetrating the enemy’s defenses. They conducted demining and advanced about 1.5 kilometers toward Demidovka. Initially, the Russians controlled this settlement, but there are now reports of Ukrainian forces present there," Serhiy Zgurets said.

According to him, Demidovka and Grafovka are about 20 km from Guyevo, a village on the eastern part of the Kursk bridgehead, which is held by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

"And here we can draw two conclusions. First, these actions prevent the enemy from transferring troops from the Kursk region to other areas of the front. Our strikes are targeted, as the forces we have moved into the Belgorod region are not large. Second, the area housed Russian military units that launched drone attacks on our positions. One of the objectives could be to push them out of these locations," the military expert explained.

Zgurets added that alongside ground operations, Ukrainian military aviation also carried out strikes, destroying Russian command posts and helicopters in the Belgorod region. On March 24, the Special Operations Forces reported the destruction of four Russian helicopters — two Ka-52s and two Mi-8s.

"All this shows that our long-range systems, including HIMARS, are actively engaged in this sector. Just yesterday, March 23, in the Grafovka area, we again destroyed a bridge that is crucial for Russian logistics. So now, through aviation and long-range strikes, we control this area. The enemy will have to respond, either by reinforcing their presence or finding other solutions. But at this point, they have no other way to counter our military," the analyst concluded.

• On March 21, the Ukrainian Air Force eliminated a Russian border command post in the Belgorod region.
• On March 24, the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces, in coordination with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, missile forces, and artillery, destroyed two Russian Ka-52 helicopters and two Mi-8s in the Belgorod region.