Ukrainian forces continued to advance slightly southeast of Suja on August 16 amid ongoing Ukrainian operations in Kursk Oblast. Russian bloggers claim that Ukrainian forces have advanced east of Mirni and south of Plovnoe (both southeast of Suja), and geolocation images released on August 15 show that Ukrainian forces have recently operated within Borki (southeast of Suja). .
Russian bloggers noted that small Ukrainian mobile groups continued limited attacks behind the existing line of contact in Kursk Oblast and that Ukrainian forces continued attacks near Korenevo and west of Snagost (south of Korenevo). >
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claims that Russian forces repelled a Ukrainian attack in the direction of Gordeyevka (south of Korenevo) and Ukrainian attacks west of Anastasiyevka and southeast of Kauchuk (both northeast of Korenevo and about 27 km from the international border).
This is stated in the daily analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), cited by news.bg
Russian bloggers also claim to have struck Ukrainian forces operating near Otruba (southwest of Korenevo and along the international border).
Geolocation footage released on August 15 and 16 shows Ukrainian forces continuing to operate during the maximalists' stated limit to Ukrainian advances in Kursk Oblast, including near Suja.
Strikes have destroyed two bridges in the Glushovo area, Kursk region. Russian sources claimed on August 16 that Ukrainian HIMARS strikes destroyed bridges in Glushkovo and Zvannoe (both southeast of Korenevo). Geolocated footage released on August 16 shows that the bridge in Glushkovo collapsed after the impact.
Russian bloggers claim that destroying the bridge will complicate Russian land lines of communication in the area.
Available reports and evidence indicate that Ukrainian forces are no longer holding positions in Belgorod Oblast as of August 16. The Washington Post reported on August 15 that Ukrainian personnel involved in cross-border attacks in the Belgorod region said that Ukrainian groups carried out mechanized attacks near the Kolotilovka border crossing (on the international border northwest of the city of Belgorod) on August 11 and advanced up to approximately 10 kilometers in the area.
Russian sources say that Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked near Kolotilovka in recent days and temporarily seized the Kolotilovka checkpoint on August 15, but have not said that Ukrainian forces have advanced anywhere near 10 kilometers beyond the checkpoint.
The Washington Post reported that Ukrainian forces held positions in Belgorod Oblast while under heavy Russian airstrikes and artillery fire, and that armored vehicles crossed into Belgorod Oblast to evacuate remaining Ukrainian personnel from those positions on August 15 .
ISW has not seen any evidence to suggest that Ukrainian forces remain in Belgorod Oblast as of 16 August. Ukrainian soldiers told the Washington Post that Russian forces in Belgorod Oblast were better prepared to repel cross-border Ukrainian attacks than Russian forces in Kursk Oblast. Russian forces have deployed anti-tank fortifications along the border and heavily mined the area.
Ukraine's ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said on August 14 that Kremlin-appointed Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova had initiated talks about the prisoner exchange and that Ukrainian forces had taken 2,000 Russian prisoners of war in the past two weeks, including conscripts, border guards from the Russian Federal security service (FSB) and personnel from the Chechen units "Akhmat".
This is reportedly the first time Russia has initiated discussions about a possible prisoner-of-war exchange. Ukrainian officials previously reported that Russian officials have rejected offers of prisoner-of-war exchanges in the past.
Ukraine's General Directorate of Military Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov said on August 15 that Ukraine will prioritize the return of the seriously wounded and sick, women and those who have been in Russian captivity the longest.
Budanov said Ukraine would also try to return civilian prisoners, especially those held captive by Russian forces since 2014. A Ukrainian military law enforcement officer said on August 15 that 80 percent of more than 200 Russian prisoners of war located in a facility for holding Ukrainian prisoners of war are conscripts.
Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region threatens Russian President Vladimir Putin's efforts to maintain support for the war and his regime, and the Kremlin may be keen on the political ramifications of a large number of Russian prisoners of war captured on Russian soil, especially conscripts.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has asked the Russian authorities to allow their representatives to visit the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions as part of a human rights monitoring mission.
Spokeswoman Liz Trossell confirmed the request on Aug. 15 and noted that the agency had previously asked Russian authorities for access to areas in Russia and occupied Ukraine "to no avail".
U.S. officials reiterated that U.S. policy on Ukraine's ability to use U.S.-supplied weapons to launch long-range strikes against Russian military targets has not changed amid Ukraine's ongoing incursion into Kursk Oblast. Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said during a press briefing on August 15 that the incursion into Kursk Oblast did not change the type or volume of weapons the US would provide to Ukraine and that the parameters of US policy regarding strikes against military targets in Russia with US-supplied weapons have also not changed.
The Biden administration reportedly approved a policy change in May 2024 allowing Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons for "countermeasures" against Russian forces carrying out attacks in the northern part of the Kharkiv region and preparing to carry out attacks from other Russian regions immediately bordering Ukraine.
Singh reiterated that the United States supports Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russia's illegal invasion.
The Kremlin has fired former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's information policy adviser Andrei Ilnitsky, possibly as part of ongoing efforts to transfer control of Russia's wartime information policy from the Ministry of Defense (MoD) to the Russian presidential administration. Russian state media noted that Kremlin news outlet TASS immediately issued a correction to an Aug. 15 report stating that Ilnitsky was a former Defense Ministry adviser.
Russian state media reported that Ilnitsky's title change indicated he had been fired recently and noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin fired several of Shoigu's deputies in mid-June, although the Russian Defense Ministry did not officially announce Ilnitsky's dismissal.
Ilnitsky's dismissal also appears to be relatively recent, as many Russian media have referred to him with his title at the Ministry of Defense since at least July 2024. However, one Russian source claims that Ilnitsky resigned after Shoigu's dismissal.
Russian media say Ilnitsky may be the creator of the "Z" symbol used by Russian forces during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and note that he has advised the Russian Ministry of Defense since 2015. A prominent Russian propagandist on social media reacted to the news by accusing Ilnitsky of creating a harmful and confusing information policy in the Russian MoD and recalling an instance in which Ilnitsky tried to teach him how to wage an "information war" in April 2022
Some Russian bloggers have suggested that Ilnitsky advocates against daily war coverage and accused him of misleading state coverage of the war in Ukraine.
One critical Russian blogger condemned Ilnitsky's firing, noting that the Kremlin was advancing efforts to transfer control of Russia's wartime information policy from the Defense Ministry's Information and Mass Communications Department to the Russian presidential administration.
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