Kamikaze drone strikes are exacerbating disarray within Kiev’s incursion force, the Russian military has said.
The Russian Defense Ministry has circulated videos it says depict kamikaze drone strikes on the forces remaining from Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region.
Kiev launched the incursion last August, claiming it has military and political value, however its forces are widely reported to be on the retreat and are facing increased risk of being cut off entirely.
A video released on Sunday shows a stationary column of military vehicles being targeted by multiple first-person view drones. The convoy’s advance was seemingly halted after encountering a destroyed bridge, leading to soldiers abandoning their transport.
The ministry claimed that Ukrainian troops were “fleeing from Sudzha,” a city in Kursk Region that has served as a base for Kiev’s operations since the start of the incursion. On the same day, the Russian military announced the liberation of several settlements previously controlled by Ukrainian forces.
Another clip published on Monday showcased Russian drone strikes against various Ukrainian targets reportedly throughout the area, including soldiers, vehicles, and bridges, the latter aimed at “disrupting enemy logistics and cutting off retreat paths.”
Media reports indicate that Russian troops executed an infiltration operation, covertly moving hundreds of personnel behind Ukrainian lines via a gas pipeline before launching a surprise attack over the weekend.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has previously claimed the incursion into Kursk as a major tactical victory. He has asserted that it has thwarted a Russian offensive into Ukraine’s Sumy Region and would bolster Kiev’s position in potential peace negotiations. However, Ukrainian forces have reportedly sustained tens of thousands of casualties during the operation and are facing possible encirclement in the Sudzha area.
This week, senior Ukrainian officials are scheduled to meet with members of the Trump administration, which some media outlets describe as Ukraine’s final opportunity to repair relations with the new US leadership. Washington paused arms deliveries and intelligence sharing with Kiev after the American president accused Zelensky of refusing to compromise for a prospective US-mediated peace deal with Russia.
