Russia does not move troops from eastern Ukraine to Kursk region to avoid disrupting offensive - ISW
The Russian military command is in no hurry to redeploy troops to Kursk from other operational areas to prevent the disruption of the offensive in eastern Ukraine.
According to Ukrinform, this is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Russian military command seems to be relying on units already deployed near the international border and on easily accessible forces in the rear, most of which are units manned by conscripts and irregulars, analysts say.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said on 9 August that it had sent additional multiple launch rocket systems, artillery and heavy tracked vehicles to the Suzhansky district to counter the Ukrainian forces.
Russian military bloggers claim that irregular Russian forces, including those previously deployed in other parts of the frontline, are already arriving in Kursk region, the report said. According to them, elements of the DPR's irregular forces arrived in the Kursk region after offensive operations in the Donetsk region. Other military bloggers claim that elements of the Chechen special forces "Akhmat" are operating throughout the Kursk region, and units of the Russian Special Forces are operating in the border areas of the Kursk region, including near Sudzha.
Commenting on information from various sources that highly skilled military units are being redeployed to the Kursk region from eastern or southern Ukraine, ISW notes that it will still take some time for them to arrive.
"The significant redeployment of Northern Group units to the Kursk region may indicate that the Russian military command has decided that disrupting the offensive in northern Kharkiv region is a necessary sacrifice to respond to the Ukrainian invasion, while avoiding redeployment from higher priority areas of the front. A larger-scale redeployment of Russian troops from the frontline areas is likely to be slower, and more capable frontline units may start arriving in the Kursk region in the coming days," analysts say.
As Ukrinform reported, on 6 August, Russian telegram channels began posting about the fighting in the border area with reference to pro-war publics. It was also noted that the Ukrainian military had allegedly entered the territory of the Kursk region.
The Ukrainian military did not make any official statements on this matter.