ISW: Russia may transfer individual units of occupiers from Donetsk region to Kursk region

ISW: Russia may transfer individual units of occupiers from Donetsk region to Kursk region

The Russian military command is probably transferring individual elements of Russian irregular formations from Donbas to the Kursk region - to counter the Ukrainian invasion. In particular, this concerns elements of the Sarmat battalion of the Pyatnashka brigade and the Russian volunteer corps.

Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War ( ISW ) noted that they had recently recorded the activities of the said occupying forces in the direction of Chasiv Yar, Toretsk and Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region. Elements of the separate guards special forces battalion "Arbat" and the drone squad "Night Wolves" also quickly redeployed to the Kursk region, whereas previously they had been operating throughout the Donetsk region.

At the same time, ISW noted that some elements of the aforementioned irregular formations are likely to remain in the Chasiv Yar, Toretsk and Pokrovsk directions. The occupiers assess them as priority sections of the front in Ukraine, so both the Kremlin and the Russian military command are unlikely to tear off entire units actively participating in combat operations to counter the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk region.

Analysts also noted that Russian authorities rely heavily on Russian conscripts and some regular and irregular military units transferred to Kursk region from less important parts of the front. In particular, they sent there the Chechen special forces "Akhmat", which operated along the entire front line in Ukraine - in the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

It was also reported that units of the 810th Marine Infantry Brigade and two unspecified airborne assault battalions (VDV) were being redeployed from the Kherson direction to the Kursk region. In addition, elements of the Russian 272nd and 488th motorized rifle regiments recently moved there from the Kupyansk direction.

"The redeployment of conscripts, elements of the Northern Group of Forces and individual units from less important sections of the front in Ukraine may indicate that the Russian military command considers possible disruptions of offensive operations in the north of the Kharkov region and other less important sections of the front an acceptable risk for an adequate response to the Ukrainian invasion of the Kursk region," the analysts suggested.