[Korrespondent] 19:52 German Major General Christian Freiding, who heads the situation center for Ukraine at the German Defense Ministry, said after a visit to Ukraine that he "fully understands" Kiev's decision to launch an offensive in the Kursk region: "Wherever a military leader has the opportunity to take the initiative, he should use it. From my impressions and conversations, the Ukrainians understand very well what risks they are taking, but if this operation is successful, there could be significant momentum."
He estimates that Ukraine has deployed four brigades (4,000 to 6,000 men) for the offensive, with 2,000 to 4,000 troops supporting them from Ukrainian territory through logistics and air defense. "The depth of the captured territory is about 30 km, the width is about 65 km. We estimate the total territory where Ukrainian forces are operating - not controlling, but operating - at about 1,000 square kilometers. This is interesting because this is roughly the same territory that Ukrainian troops have lost to Russian forces since the beginning of the year," Freiding noted.
19:02 Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov ordered the creation of a coordinating council "to increase the effectiveness of troops to cover the state border in the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions." The council will, in particular, regulate the buildup of troops in the event of a border breach, and its key task is to provide the troops with weapons.
17:28 The situation in Donetsk has worsened amid the offensive in Kursk Oblast, Ivan Sekach, a spokesman for the 110th Mechanized Brigade, told Politico. According to him, the military now has "even less ammunition than before, and even more Russian pressure." As The Guardian notes, the Ukrainians are counting on the pressure in Kursk Oblast to lead to the withdrawal of some Russian troops from eastern Ukraine, but so far this has not happened.
16:30 Journalists from the Italian TV channel TG1 visited Russian Sudzha, which is under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and published a story from there. "We drove into Sudzha in the Kursk region during the Ukrainian army's offensive. Civilian houses are intact. The noise of drones can be heard," wrote journalist Stefania Batistini. The journalists showed damaged Ukrainian equipment near the border and talked to Russians in Sudzha. The girl said that Ukrainian soldiers treat them with respect.
16:11 Ukraine will probably evacuate Russian civilians from the Kursk region to Sumy, said Minister for Reintegration Irina Vereshchuk. According to her, the government, together with the military, is already working on a possible route for a humanitarian corridor for civilians. "As for a humanitarian corridor towards the Russian Federation: such a possibility exists, but subject to a corresponding official request from the Russian side. So far, such a request has not been received," she added.
15:46 The Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to advance in the Kursk region and already control 82 settlements, Zelensky reported following the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Headquarters. According to Syrsky, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced 35 km and control more than 1,150 sq. km of Russian territory. Syrsky also reported on the completion of the liberation of the city of Sudzha from Russian troops, and a Ukrainian military commandant's office is currently being created there. General Eduard Moskalov has been appointed head of the commandant's office. There is also a new replenishment of the exchange fund.
13:24 Sky News reports, citing sources, that Ukraine has deployed British Challenger 2 tanks in its offensive in the Kursk region. Meanwhile, The Times reports, citing its sources, that Britain is calling on its allies to allow Ukraine to carry out long-range strikes on Russian territory. London's official position has not changed - such strikes are prohibited. However, the publication writes that British ministers are holding closed talks with Western governments to grant Kiev the permission it has long been asking for.
13:01 Ukraine and Russia have begun negotiations on the exchange of prisoners captured in the Kursk region, the Financial Times reports. Ukrainian intelligence has confirmed that Kiev is already working on the exchange. Ukraine has not officially disclosed the exact number of captured Russians, but the FT writes that hundreds of soldiers are involved. The Independent, citing a source, reported that about 2,000 Russian soldiers were captured.
12:04 Western media exaggerate the scale of the movement of Russian reserves to the Kursk region, said Dmitry Likhovy, spokesman for the Tavria group of forces. According to him, the media representatives "heard that there is a movement, but they mistakenly believe that there is a continuous flow, a major redeployment." "In fact, this is not the case. No significant changes in the size of the group have been identified. The quantitative composition as a whole does not change enough to talk about any changes or weakening in the nature of military operations," he noted.
11:07 A company of Russian soldiers was captured in the Kursk region by soldiers of the SBU Special Operations Center "A", Ukrainian media write, citing sources in the special service. This is the largest capture of the enemy that was carried out at one time during the war: 102 Russian prisoners of war were captured.
The special forces captured and cleared out a branched concrete and well-fortified company stronghold on all sides - with underground communications and quarters for personnel, a canteen, an armory and even a bathhouse. The enemy was not going to surrender, there was enough food and ammunition, "but the successful actions of the SBU special forces adjusted the enemy's plans," the sources reported. Among the prisoners were soldiers of the 488th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces and the Akhmat unit.
10:08 A company of Russian soldiers surrendered in the Kursk region on Wednesday, August 14. As reported by the Ukrainian state project I Want to Live , more than a hundred Russians abandoned by their commanders surrendered. "They can be understood: it is difficult to conduct military operations when you are commanded by tyrants and embezzlers, and the flanks are "covered" by Kadyrov's bandits, who abandon everyone and everything, just to avoid being captured themselves. Well, and thanks to General Lapin, who is helping us successfully advance in the Kursk region, just as in 2022 in the Kharkiv region, for the defense of which he was responsible," the project said in a statement.
00:23 The Belarusian Railway Workers' Community reports, citing sources, that due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive in the Kursk Region, trains from Belarus to the stations of the Oryol-Kursk branch of the Moscow Railway have stopped running. The telegram notifying about the impossibility of receiving trains has the mark "until cancellation".
In addition, a large number of "abandoned" trains have been accumulated at stations in the Smolensk region, which is caused by the large-scale transfer of Russian troops to the Kursk region and the redeployment of a significant portion of the fleet of freight locomotives for military transportation from the central part of the Russian Federation. At the same time, some sources report that the concentration of armed forces is being carried out "from virtually all regions, even from fairly remote or complicated regions with logistical difficulties."