Ukraine Launches Large Scale Ground Assault on Russia’s Belogrod

<p >The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been confirmed to have launched a large scale ground assault on Russia’s Belogrod region, mirroring the prior launch of a <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-20650-personnel-kursk" target="_blank">large scale incursion</a> involving tens of thousands of personnel into the Russian Kursk region in August 2024. The assault was launched at a time when Ukrainian forces in Kursk face encirclement and are reported to be rapidly abandoning their positions and equipment. The success of the incursion remains uncertain, however, with Russian state media reporting that five separate attacks were launched on March 18 alone targeting the border villages of Demidovka and Prilesye, all of which were repelled. Ukrainian sources have claimed that their forces have penetrated several kilometres into Belogrod, with Russian analysts having been quick to attribute possible losses to toe leadership’s letting its guard down as the United States offered terms for a ceasefire in the theatre. The Russian Defence Ministry has claimed that the assault was launched ““In order to create a negative background around the negotiations between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States.” Footage from the frontlines confirms that Ukraine has deployed mechanised units including U.S.-supplied <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-unsatisfied-bradley-losses" target="_blank">Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles </a>for the assault, and that Ukrainian units have abandoned at least some of their vehicles during clashes. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/03/20/article_67db7372ab5d64_90296081.jpg" title="German Supplied Leopard 2A6 Tank Destroyed in Kursk in September 2024"></p><p >The Ukrainian Armed Forces <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/ukraine-twin-assaults-kursk-belogrod" target="_blank">previously attempted </a>to launch an assault on Belgorod in early August in parallel to their assault on Kursk. A report by the Washington Post in mid-August highlighted that there continued to be “fierce fighting underway” on the border, citing wounded Ukrainian personnel who had been evacuated. The five day assault involved a “fleet of armoured vehicles [moving] in broad daylight,” one soldier stated, describing the operation as “crazy.” The assault focused on the Kolotilovka–Pokrovka border crossing, but unlike in Kursk it was effectively repelled by Russian forces based in Belgorod. Ukrainian personnel interviewed stated that Russian defenders were well prepared, with the area heavily mined and fortified with ‘dragon’s teeth’ anti-tank obstacles. Ukrainian forces came under intense attack by Russian artillery, drones, and combat jets as soon as they came near the border. “All our group was injured the day we arrived,”one serviceman stated, with the seriousness of the situation being such that the dead had to be abandoned. It remains uncertain whether the second assault launched more than seven months later was more successful, and whether Ukrainian forces may have found a way to penetrate the extensive defences in place in the region. </p>

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