Ukrainian forces experimenting with innovative techniques in Kursk region - ISW

Ukrainian forces achieved operational surprise during the incursion into Russia's Kursk region despite Russian authorities' reported awareness of the possibility of an incursion.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said this in a new report, Ukrinform reports.

Analysts, referring to an article in The Guardian, said that the Russian authorities were reportedly aware of the threat of a future Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region in the months leading up to August 2024 but failed to take adequate steps to address such a threat. One of the documents reviewed by the media outlet noted that Russian military units stationed along the international border were only staffed at between 60 and 70 percent of their intended end strength on average and were primarily staffed by poorly trained reservists as of June 2024.

According to ISW analysts, Russian authorities do not appear to have made any substantive efforts to improve the preparedness of the Russian military units serving in border areas of the Kursk region or construct additional fortifications along the international border prior to the incursion, and Russian authorities may have decided to ignore these requests due to a miscalculation of Ukraine's ability to advance deep into the Kursk region.

"Although Russian forces were likely aware of various points along the international border at which Ukraine could conduct an incursion, Ukrainian forces were able to leverage ambiguity around their operational intent and capabilities to maintain operational surprise," ISW said.

It added that Ukrainian forces also reportedly experimented with innovative techniques integrating ground activity and unmanned systems that ISW will not cover in-depth "to maintain Ukrainian operational security."