Russian general Alaudinov: Ukraine miserably failed operation in Kursk

The main goal of Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region of Russia is to seize the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, Russian General Apti Alaudinov said. According to him, the Ukrainian servicemen failed their mission and are now attempting to dig in to avoid annihilation.

Photo: Mil.gov.ua by 92nd Kish Otaman Ivan Sirko Mechanized Brigade, CC BY 4.0

The Russian military obtained "interesting materials" that included details of the operation that the Ukrainian side was preparing in the border region.

During their operation in the Kursk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine planned to seize the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant by August 11, that is on day six since the beginning of the incursion. More than 11,000 Ukrainian servicemen took part in the operation, Deputy Chief of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, Commander of the Akhmat special forces, Apti Alaudinov said.

According to him, the AFU failed their mission and all the battle-capable resources were "thrown into the fire".

"Most of the equipment that was sent to the Kursk region has already been destroyed," the general said.

Alaudinov also said that the Russian troops were completing the operation to block the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region. The Ukrainians are no longer rushing forward, but are starting to dig in, "trying to avoid annihilation."

The Kursk NPP is located in the town of Kurchatov. The 40,000-strong town sits approximately 65 km from the border with Ukraine. The station currently runs two (out of four) power units with a total capacity of 2,000 MW. It provides more than 50 percent of the installed capacity of all power plants in the Black Earth Region.

Battles in the border areas of the Kursk region have been ongoing since the morning of August 6. By the evening of August 7, a state of emergency of federal scale was declared in the region. During this time, 28 settlements in the region came under the control of the Ukrainian military. About 2,000 people may remain in those settlements, Acting Governor Alexey Smirnov said on August 12.

According to the Ministry of Defense as of August 13, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the fighting in the Kursk direction amounted to 2,030 people. The AFU also lost hundreds of units of equipment, including 35 tanks and 31 armored personnel carriers.

Kyiv later announced that the goal of the operation in the Kursk region was to strengthen the positions in the negotiations. Putin considered attempts to conduct peace talks with those who "indiscriminately strike civilians" to be futile.