Russian troops have started digging trenches in the Kursk region in response to the ongoing offensive by Ukrainian Armed Forces.
This development was reported by the OSINTtechnical account on the social network X, and the claim has been supported by recent satellite images.
Defensive Preparations
The satellite images show that defensive structures are being built along several key routes, including the Lgov-Sudzha highway, just 1.5 kilometers from the town of Sudzha.
Other trench networks are being constructed near the village of Viktorovka, at the intersection of the Selikhovy Dvory-Ivanino and Dyakonovo-Sudzha roads, and close to the village of Druzhnaya.
The trench closest to the Ukrainian border is near Viktorovka, roughly 45 kilometers away.
The farthest trench seen in the images is near the intersection of the Selikhovy Dvory-Ivanino and Dyakonovo-Sudzha highways, close to the city of Kursk, which is about 75 kilometers from the border.
In addition to these defensive efforts, Russia is reportedly building new trench networks near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. According to BBC journalists, satellite images show trenches as close as eight kilometers from the plant.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been conducting an offensive in the Kursk region for over a week.
As of the evening of August 13, Ukrainian forces reportedly control 74 settlements in the area, according to Oleksandr Syrsky, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
However, the acting head of the Kursk region, Oleksiy Smirnov, provided a different figure, stating on August 12 that the Ukrainian army controls 28 settlements.
