The UK Ministry of Defence reported on March 10 in its daily intelligence update that the Russian army has focused its main offensive efforts in the Kursk region. This creates an opportunity for the Ukrainian armed forces to launch counter-offensives in other areas of the front.
What actions is Russia taking in the Kursk region?
According to British military intelligence, Russian forces are attacking the Kursk region from three directions — west, north, and east — with the aim of increasing pressure on Ukrainian forces. Currently, it is reported that the Ukrainian army controls approximately 300 square kilometers of territory.
The intensity of Russian attacks in other areas of the front has decreased compared to late 2024 and early 2025. This has allowed the Ukrainian armed forces, especially in the Pokrovsk direction in the Donetsk region, to strengthen their counter-offensives. Ukrainian forces are reportedly successfully attacking the villages of Peschane, Udachne, and Shevchenko, as well as the strategic T-0506 highway to the south.
"The counter-offensive capability of the Ukrainian army has improved due to the decrease in the number of Russian military operations. Additionally, the supply routes of Russia in the Pokrovsk direction have been weakened due to Ukrainian drone attacks," the British intelligence report states.
Russia announced it has taken control of several villages in the Kursk region
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on March 9 that it had "liberated" the villages of Malaya Loknya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, and Kositsa from the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region. Videos showing Russian soldiers in the village of Martinovka have also circulated online. However, the Russian government has not yet officially announced that this area has been taken under control. This information has been confirmed by the DeepState OSINT analytical center, which is close to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
In the last two days, Russian forces claim to have taken control of the villages of Lebedevka, Viktorovka, Nikolayevka, and Staraya Sorochina in Kursk, as well as the village of Novenkoye in Ukraine's Sumy region.
Andrey Demchenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian State Border Service, emphasized that the Russian army is trying to strengthen its positions along the Ukraine-Sumy region border. "The enemy is attempting to create a zone of aggressive military operations on Ukrainian territory," he said.
He noted that the Russian Federation aims to block important logistics routes for the Ukrainian armed forces through attacks in the Novenkoye area.
How is Ukraine responding on the front?
The Ukrainian armed forces report that the Russian army's attacks in the Kursk region have reduced pressure in other areas. This has allowed for increased counter-offensives against Russian positions in the Pokrovsk direction.
The Ukrainian army is attempting to weaken Russian movements on the front by attacking their supply routes in Pokrovsk with drones. Through this, Ukraine plans to strengthen its positions on the front.
Russia is intensifying its attacks in the Kursk region while simultaneously trying to complicate Ukraine's strategy in the Donetsk and Sumy directions. Ukraine is taking advantage of the opportunity to launch counter-offensives in areas where Russian pressure has decreased.
So far, the Ukrainian army has not officially assessed the situation in the Kursk region, but the country's defense ministry continues to strike Russian forces in other areas of the front.
The situation on the battlefield indicates that Russia is currently striving for strategic advantage in Kursk, while Ukraine is gaining new opportunities to counter-attack in other points of the front.
