Today, there are a lot of interesting updates from the Kursk direction. Here, Russian soldiers were paralyzed by an intense Ukrainian bombing campaign, while Ukrainian ground forces closed in on their flanks.

With two companies already encircled and wiped out, Russian soldiers made a desperate plea for reinforcements; however, this relief force walked right into a Ukrainian trap. Ukrainian forces are closing in on Tyotkino with a pincer maneuver threatening full encirclement of the town.

The situation for Russian troops is critical, as up to two companies, around 250 soldiers, are trapped in a shrinking pocket after Ukrainians broke through the town center. Ukrainian drone fire control and constant surveillance make all roads in and out of Tyotkino highly dangerous, blocking Russian evacuation and reinforcements.

Airstrikes devastate Russian sefenses in Kursk oblast

Meanwhile, Ukrainian aircraft relentlessly strike Russian strongpoints, command centers, drone hubs, and troop concentrations with growing intensity. Ukrainian air strikes are proving devastating for the Russians in Kursk, destroying fortified positions and eliminating dozens of Russian troops at once.

Over the past two weeks, at least 15 documented bombings have been conducted against Russian force concentrations in and around Tyotkino alone, with estimated casualties reaching up to 300 soldiers. These targeted strikes have created critical gaps in Russian defenses, further enabling the Ukrainian push.

Despite the worsening conditions, the Russian command had largely neglected the defense of Tyotkino, focusing instead on sustaining their offensive in Sumy Oblast. As a result, only a limited force was left to hold the town, insufficient to stop the Ukrainian advance. Desperate for support, isolated Russian troops are now calling for reinforcements, fearing they may not survive unless help arrives soon.

Ukrainian HIMARS strike destroys Russian convoy in Rylsk

In response to the Ukrainian advance on Tyotkino, Russian forces urgently began deploying reinforcements to prevent a full encirclement. These reinforcements were drawn from reserve units originally amassed for the planned offensive in Sumy. Ukrainian officials had recently warned that Russia was preparing its largest military buildup in six months, including the redeployment of 10 self-propelled artillery units and over 40 trucks loaded with troops and ammunition from Kherson and Crimea toward the Kursk direction.

Unfortunately for Russians, Russian media once again exposed the movements of their column and allowed Ukrainians to increasingly track their movements. This allowed Ukrainians to track Russian force concentrations right to their main base of operations in Rylsk, which had already been struck several times before. They even identified Russians hiding equipment inside a local cultural center before they were combat-ready. Using this intelligence, Ukrainian forces launched a precise HIMARS strike that destroyed the troops and equipment, further delaying reinforcements to Tyotkino.

Failing to reinforce their crumbling defense on the ground, Russian forces deployed fighter jets, hoping to at least stop the Ukrainian air strikes. However, Ukraine was prepared, utilizing the Swedish S-100 Argus AWACS aircraft in conjunction with F-16 fighters. The AWACS has a 400 km detection range, allowing Ukrainians to spot Russian jets deep in Kursk while staying safe inside friendly airspace, beyond Russian air defense range.

Ukrainian F-16s shoot down Russian Su-35 over Kursk

In a one-on-one engagement with the F-16, Russians have the advantage, as their Su-35 jets have more powerful onboard radars with a range of 350 kilometers, compared to the F-16’s 110-kilometer range. However, with AWACS support, Ukrainian F-16s gained extended radar reach and early targeting info, enabling them to launch AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles from their maximum range, shooting down an unsuspecting Russian Su-35 fighter jet.

The Russian jet crashed near the border with Ukraine, while the pilot managed to eject and seek cover in the fields, as the plane itself was visually confirmed to be destroyed by Ukrainian drone surveillance. Subsequently, the shootdown was further verified by a Russian helicopter search and rescue team, which came to evacuate the pilot.

Overall, Ukraine achieved near-total aerial dominance over Tyotkino and surrounding areas in Kursk, leveraging Swedish S-100 Argus AWACS and F-16 jets to detect and shoot down any Russian aircraft attempting to respond.

Russian fighters are warning that Ukrainians are about to gain extremely advantageous defensive positions in Kursk if they capture Tyotkino. They warned that the failure of the Russian command to adequately respond would result in Russian soldiers being forced to once again resort to costly, grinding attritional attacks to take back the lost territories in Kursk.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.