Latest Updates on Ukraine’s Reported Incursion Into Kursk Region

So far, Ukraine has not confirmed nor denied its presence in the Kursk region. Meanwhile, Russian authorities have confirmed the presence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as their control over several settlements in the region. Over 300 Russian troops are reported to have surrendered. Western allies have expressed support for Ukraine’s right to decide its tactic in its fight against Russian aggression.

Live updates

19:22 Ukrainian Telegram channels reported that Sudzha in Kursk region is now under control of Ukrainian Forces.

19:05 Ukrainian Telegram channels reported that another Russian military unit has been captured in Kursk region.

17:51 Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for the Ukrainian volunteer army 'South,' stated that “The Ukrainian Armed Forces captured ammunition depots near Sudzha in Kursk region that were intended for the Russian advance into Ukraine’s Sumy region."

17:23 An unnamed State Duma deputy from Kursk region stated that "About 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers from the second brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are positioned opposite Rylsk. The Ukrainians 'have brought in heavy equipment and are beginning to dig in, build fortifications, and dig trenches.'“

17:00 Russian media reported that the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant is being fortified, and access to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant has been restricted. Electricity has been cut to the unfinished reactor units, and construction workers have been evacuated, according to the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation.

14:33 Snagost and Olgovka in Kursk region have come under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Russian media reports.

14:30 In the morning on August 9, footage appeared of a convoy of Russian vehicles destroyed in the Kursk region, Russia, with at least 14 trucks and one UAZ set ablaze.

The video of the convoy was shared by Russian Telegram channels. Reports indicate that the footage was captured on the E38 highway in the village of Oktyabrskoe, near the city of Rylsk, 37 kilometers from the border.

Russian sources claim that the convoy was struck by HIMARS. Mark Krutov, a journalist with the Russian service of “Radio Svoboda,” pinpointed the approximate location of the convoy’s vehicles on a map.

13:00 According to the newly released Forbes report, one of Ukraine’s most strongest and rapid brigades has entered in Kursk region. A video circulating on social media on August 8 shows a mix of military equipment, including a T-64BV or T-80BV tank, an UR-77 mine-clearing vehicle, an IMR-2 engineering vehicle, BTR-80s, and US-made Stryker wheeled armored personnel carriers passing by a busy Ukrainian mortar crew. All vehicles are equipped with anti-drone cages, and infantry are seen crowding the tops of the BTR-80s.

This specific combination of ex-Soviet and ex-American vehicles is operated exclusively by the 80th Air Assault Brigade. Additional confirmation is provided by a separate video, shot by a Russian drone, showing strikes on ex-German Marder tracked fighting vehicles in Kursk Oblast.

12:40 In Kurchatov, where the Kursk NPP is located, the situation remains highly tense. Hostilities are ongoing several tens of kilometers from the city, according to the head of administration, Igor Korpunkov.

11:38 Soldiers from the M2 unit of the Special Operations Center of the SBU in Kursk targeted another Russian helicopter with an FPV drone.

While the future status of the Mi-8 remains unclear, it has ceased operations in the specified area.

11:36 The Washington Post reported that Ukraine is negotiating with the US on ATACMS strikes on Russian airfields, citing an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The adviser told the newspaper that ATACMS strikes are needed to destroy fighter jets at Russian airfields. This would allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to keep the districts of the Kursk region under their control.

11.15 A video circulating on Russian Telegram channels shows a burning column of Russian military equipment in the Kursk region. It is reported that the footage was filmed on a highway that used to connect Hlukhiv in Ukraine with Kursk, passing through Rylsk and Lgov. The column was attacked in the village of Oktyabrskoye, located 8 km from Rylsk. The strike occurred 30 km from the border and 20 km from the nearest reported fighting area, the urban-type settlement of Korenevo.

Channels such as “Neofitsialny Bezsonov,” “Belorussky Silovik,” and “Voenny Osveditel” reported that Russian military equipment was targeted. According to “Voenny Osveditel,” Ukrainian forces used HIMARS installations, but this information has not been independently confirmed.

11:09 Geolocation images and Russian statements suggest that Ukrainian troops are now present in Russian areas approximately 35 kilometers from the internationally recognized border with Ukraine’s Sumy region, as reported by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in a report released on Thursday, August 8. The report notes, “However, Ukrainian forces certainly do not control the entire territory within the maximum limits of Russia’s statements about the advance of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region.” ISW also mentioned that it will refrain from analyzing the intentions behind this Ukrainian operation to “avoid compromising Ukraine’s operational security.”

8:25 Russian media Meduza reported Ukrainian Armed Forces have supposedly captured a section of a gas pipeline near Sudzha in the Kursk region. The advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region has previously caused Russia to lose control of the Sudzha gas metering station, which is a key point on the export gas pipeline to Europe.

22:30 The Pentagon commented on the situation in the Kursk region, stating, “We do not consider this to be an escalation in any way. Ukraine is doing what is necessary to achieve success on the battlefield,” said Pentagon Deputy Spokesperson Sabrina Singh during a briefing on the operation in the Kursk region. She added that the US will continue to support Ukraine with the resources it needs.

22:00 Chechen units defending the border in the Kursk region “pulled back” from the Ukrainian military and did not participate in the battles, according to Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Kadyrov special forces unit “Akhmat.” On August 7, Alaudinov explained that Ukrainian soldiers bypassed Chechen strongholds without engaging in combat.