Russian Defence Ministry announces new troop formations: Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk

Andrei Belousov. Stock photo: Wikipedia

The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced the formation of three new groups of forces – Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk.

Source: Radio Liberty Russian service

Details: It is important to note that previously, separate groups of Russian army personnel operated solely on Ukrainian territory, where the Russian Federation is conducting armed aggression.

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The army groups will be directed by the Coordination Council on the Military Security of Border Territories, a new body announced by Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov on 20 August. Its members include deputy ministers, regional leaders, and representatives from the Russian Federation’s General Staff. It is due to convene at least once a week.

Read more: Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi’s raid: how the Ukrainian offensive in Russia’s Kursk Oblast is progressing and what to expect next

The council is chaired by Belousov himself. Deputy Defence Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the former head of the Republic of Ingushetia, has been appointed deputy chairman, the Russian daily news outlet Kommersant has reported. Yevkurov previously oversaw the Kremlin’s military cooperation with sympathetic African regimes.

Belousov said the Coordination Council must work around the clock, responding to requests from the regions on a daily basis. “If it is not possible to solve a problem at its [the Council’s] level, they bring the information to me personally, and I make the decision,” the minister stressed.

According to reports, the council’s line-up does not include Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, who has commanded the joint force of Russian troops in Ukraine since 2023.

Background:

• The Armed Forces of Ukraine crossed the Russian-Ukrainian border near the city of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, on 6 August 2024.
• On 10 August, it was reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had seized control of the settlement of Poroz in Belgorod Oblast. A counter-terrorist operation (CTO) regime was implemented in Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, which included increased security, mobility restrictions, document checks, and phone censorship.
• On 12 August, Ukrainian officials confirmed the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ involvement in the special operation in Kursk Oblast.

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