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Source: Global Times

[Global Times Special Correspondent Liu Yupeng and Chen Shan] Russia's Izvestia reported on the 20th that in response to the escalating tensions in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk Oblasts bordering Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the formation of three new army groups: "Kursk", "Belgorod" and "Bryansk".

Russian reinforcements being sent to Kursk

The specific compilation is still unclear

According to reports, Russian Defense Minister Belousov held a meeting of the Military Security Coordination Committee for the border regions of the three states on the 20th. He said that the newly formed "Kursk", "Belgorod" and "Bryansk" three army groups will be responsible for protecting the land and people's security in these three regions, and an officer has been designated for each task of the coordination committee to be responsible for daily execution of tasks. "If they cannot solve the problem within their authority, the information will be conveyed to me and I will make the decision myself." At the same time, the meeting also determined the responsibility areas of all members of the coordination committee, among which the representatives of the Russian General Staff and the commanders of the three newly formed army groups will be responsible for protecting the border areas from attacks by enemy drones and other weapons.

Generally speaking, a standard Russian combined arms army has 20,000-25,000 people, including 1 communications brigade, 3-4 motorized infantry and tank brigades, 1 artillery brigade, 1 missile brigade, 1 air defense missile brigade, 1 engineering regiment, as well as chemical defense regiments, reconnaissance brigades, maintenance battalions, electronic warfare battalions, radio electronic reconnaissance battalions, intelligence centers and mapping units, as well as air defense command centers and communication hubs. However, this is the standard organization in peacetime, and its organization may change greatly in wartime. At present, the specific organization of the three newly formed Russian armies is still unclear.

Prevent Ukrainian attack

Russia's Tomorrow Daily quoted Russian military expert Vladislav Shurygin on the 21st as saying that the newly formed Russian army will not only be used for defensive operations in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk, but also consider combat operations in the northern regions of Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernigov in Ukraine in the future. "Where will the personnel of these army groups come from? It is unlikely that troops will be transferred from the front line. The newly formed troops of the Moscow Military District and the Leningrad Military District are more likely to be sent to these directions. But the problem is the imbalance of power between the troops fighting on the front line and the troops deployed in the rear. The personnel and weapons and equipment of the rear troops are not as good as those of the front-line troops, and the most important thing is combat experience. These new troops must learn combat experience."

The Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda reported on the 21st that Russian military expert Anatoly Matvichuk believes that the three newly formed armies will be incorporated into ground forces, border guards, Russian National Guards, aviation, missile forces and air defense forces, forming a powerful cluster in each border direction that can repel any possible enemy invasion. The report said that the formation of these armies will improve the efficiency of the Russian military.

Russian military expert Dmitry Drozdenko said that Russia's borders in Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions were previously guarded by border guards, and now that regular troops have been formed, the Russian army's efficiency in terms of quantity and organization will be improved. Andrei Koshkin, an expert at the Plekhanov University of Economics in Russia, believes that the fact that the Ukrainian army entered the Kursk region on August 6 shows that the Russian border areas bordering Ukraine need to be effectively protected and be prepared for similar large-scale offensive provocations by the Ukrainian army. "These armies will largely eliminate the possibility of the Ukrainian army carrying out such a blitzkrieg invasion." Russian war correspondent Alexander Kotz believes that the purpose of the formation of the three new armies is to strengthen the defense of the Russian border. The Ukrainian army is transferring its troops to the Belgorod and Bryansk regions in an attempt to launch similar offensives in these areas.

"This week's battle for Kursk will be decisive"

Russia's concerns are not groundless. According to the New York Times on the 20th, Ukrainian President Zelensky asked Western allies to lift all restrictions on the Ukrainian army's use of Western long-range weapons on Russian territory to "maximum" support Ukraine. He said that the Ukrainian army controlled more than 1,250 square kilometers of land in Kursk Oblast. "The Ukrainian army's active defense operations on Russian territory are the most effective countermeasure." At present, the Ukrainian armed forces are consolidating their positions, increasing the number of Russian prisoners, and plan to use them to exchange Ukrainian prisoners of war in the future. According to the news released by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ukrainian army has made great progress in the Kursk direction because it has received assistance from the intelligence agencies of the United States, Britain and Poland. "The Ukrainian troops participating in the operation have received combat training in Britain and Germany. Military advisers from NATO countries have provided assistance in directing the Ukrainian army to attack Russian territory and Ukraine's use of Western weapons and equipment. At the same time, NATO has been passing satellite reconnaissance data on the deployment of Russian troops in the area of ​​operation to Kiev."

Alexey Leonkov, editor of the Russian magazine "National Arsenal", believes that the Ukrainian army transferred its most combat-capable troops from the eastern front to the Kursk region, but they did not achieve the results that Kiev hoped for. Now the Ukrainian army is forced to transfer its reserves to the Kursk region, further weakening the strength of other sections of the front. The report of the US think tank War Research Institute believes that the Ukrainian army continues to make small progress around the territory occupied by western Russia, but as Russian reinforcements began to arrive, the Ukrainian army's progress has slowed down significantly in recent days.

Russia's Izvestia reported on the 21st that Turkey's "Motherland" party leader Dogu Perinçek said on the same day that the Ukrainian military's action aims to gain a strong negotiating position and drag NATO into the Ukrainian conflict. But these goals will not be achieved. Russian military expert Sergei Poletayev said that the Ukrainian army is building up defenses in the Kursk region, but the Russian army is trying to prevent it from doing so, so this week's battle in the region will be decisive.