Elite Ukrainian Assault Brigade Joins Reported Incursion into Kursk Region, Says Forbes

Forbes reports, that one of Ukraine’s most elite and rapid brigades has joined the Russian invasion, as part of the ongoing operation in southern Russia’s Kursk Region.

A video shared on social media on Thursday shows a column of military vehicles, including a T-64BV or T-80BV tank, a UR-77 mine-clearing vehicle, an IMR-2 engineering vehicle, BTR-80s, and US-made Stryker wheeled armored personnel carriers passing by a Ukrainian mortar crew. All vehicles are equipped with anti-drone cages, and infantry can be seen on top of the BTR-80s. The video, featuring an 82-millimeter mortar firing, captures the early stages of a significant Ukrainian assault on Russian positions.

The 80th Air Assault Brigade is the only unit that utilizes this specific mix of ex-Soviet and ex-American equipment. Further information comes from a separate video, captured by a Russian drone, showing strikes on ex-German Marder tracked fighting vehicles in Kursk Oblast.

The 80th Air Assault Brigade, similar to its counterpart the 82nd Air Assault Brigade, operates both Marders and Strykers. The Marders are heavy, while the Strykers are fast, aligning with the brigade’s preference for swift and powerful strikes.

The report states that, unlike previous small-scale raids into southern Russia, this operation may involve at least three brigades—22nd and 88th Mechanized Brigades and the 80th Air Assault Brigade—along with critical support from artillery, drones, and air defenses.

According to Forbes, the exact number of Ukrainian troops involved may be around 10,000 and the Russian Northern Grouping of Forces, which defends the border area, comprises approximately 48,000 troops, the Northern Grouping is currently engaged in Vovchansk, a Ukrainian border town 90 miles southeast of Sudzha.

Ukrainian forces appear to have intentionally crossed the border at a point where the Northern Grouping was weakest. The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies noted, “The Ukrainian defense forces’ command has successfully achieved operational surprise.”

The rapid pace and scale of the Ukrainian offensive have caught Russian commanders off guard, as reflected by a noticeable delay in decision-making, according to the Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies. “A noticeable delay in decision-making by the command of the enemy’s… [northern] operational grouping indicates a misjudgment of the likely nature of the Ukrainian defense forces’ actions,” CDS report stated.