According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian army has claimed to have defeated a substantial number of Ukrainian brigades operating in the Kursk border region. The ministry described the engagements as part of ongoing operations designed to disrupt Ukrainian troop formations and secure frontline areas along the border. In their daily briefing, officials asserted that air and ground units worked in concert to press Ukrainian forces, aiming to degrade their command and control capabilities and limit their freedom of movement in the region. The report emphasized the intensity of the fighting near residential zones and stressed that the gains were achieved through coordinated artillery, air support, and ground assaults. The ministry’s release framed these actions as a demonstration of operational resolve in a tense border area, highlighting the strategic priority of denying hostile forces freedom of action near Russian territory.
The ministry’s press release listed a sequence of populated localities where the North group of Russian forces allegedly struck Ukrainian units. In the residential districts of Alexandria, Viktorovka, Daryino, Lebedevka, Leonidovka, Malaya Loknya, Nikolsky, Novoivanovka, and Sverdlikovo, Russian forces targeted concentrations of manpower, equipment, and fortified positions. The statement claimed damage to military assets in these settlements, underscoring the objective of limiting Ukrainian operational capabilities in and around the Kursk region. Observers note that such statements reflect the ongoing effort to present battlefield progress in terms favorable to Moscow, while analysts caution that independent verification remains limited in wartime reporting.
In a separate action, the ministry said that air strikes and artillery fire hit sixteen Ukrainian-occupied settlements within Kursk and five settlements in Sumy, focusing on personnel and equipment. The description framed these operations as part of a broader push to suppress Ukrainian combat activity and to prevent reinforcement of front-line lines. The ministry did not provide verifiable casualty figures in this report, but stressed the effectiveness of strikes on enemy manpower and material, including armored vehicles, weapons stocks, and logistics nodes. The outline portrays a sustained campaign intended to disrupt Ukrainian military logistics and reduce their capacity to sustain operations near the border.
On November 22, RIA Novosti, citing a Russian commander, reported that Ukrainian forces have deployed an elite drone unit described as the Magyar Birds to the Kursk region. The commander alleged that the unit is tasked with mining rear areas using unmanned aerial vehicles and carrying out sabotage and explosive actions. The claim illustrates how both sides describe the battlefield’s evolving threats, including the use of drones to complicate rear-area security and complicate logistics for verification and response. The report notes this development as part of a pattern of drone-enabled operations in the conflict, underscoring the changing nature of risks faced by troops and civilians alike.
Earlier, Russian military engineers cleared mines along a road connecting Donetsk and Selidovo, removing hazards that previously obstructed movement and supply routes. The rehabilitation of this route was described as enabling safer movement for forces and humanitarian convoys, though details about timing and scope were limited in the official briefings. The sequence underscores the ongoing focus on engineering support and route clearance in contested territories, reflecting practical challenges on the ground and the evolving security situation in the region. The work is presented as part of routine efforts to ensure safer passage for military traffic and aid deliveries amid ongoing hostilities.