Russia boosts defenses in Kursk amid Ukrainian conflict

​​​ISTANBUL/MOSCOW

The Russian Defense Ministry announced Friday that it is sending additional soldiers and military equipment to Kursk, where conflicts with the Ukrainian army are ongoing.

It had been reported that Wagner mercenaries had been dispatched to the region.

The Razgruzka Wagnera, known for its connections to Wagner, stated on its Telegram channel: “Our forces are ready to come to the aid of the Motherland and to deploy in combat readiness at the first call, as always.”

Military convoys have been sent to reinforce the Kursk region, said the ministry in a statement.

It noted that convoys include soldiers and tanks, as well as a significant number of BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers and artillery pieces.

The ministry separately announced that attacks on Ukrainian military assets using high-precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were conducted in the last week.

“From 3 to 9 August 2024, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out 19 group strikes by high-precision weapons and attacked unmanned aerial vehicles to hit: Ukrainian defense industry and relevant energy industry facilities, airfield infrastructure, air defense systems, UAV assembly facilities and storage areas,” it said.

The statement noted that Russian troops from the Central Military District have continued to fight Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk direction.

It reported that during the fighting that began Aug. 6, a total of 945 Ukrainian soldiers and 102 armored vehicles were rendered ineffective.

The statement said the Timofeyevka, Novoselovka Pervaya, and Veseloye regions have come under the control of the Russian army.

It indicated that in the past week, two MiG-29s and one Su-27 fighter jets were shot down.

It also noted that 55 Ukrainian soldiers had surrendered.

“In total, 637 airplanes and 278 helicopters, 29,507 unmanned aerial vehicles, 563 air defense missile systems, 17,004 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,399 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 13,050 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 24,562 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation,” it said.