Russians deploy soldiers from Aerospace Forces into Kursk Oblast – media

Due to a manpower shortage, the Russian command has sent in soldiers from the Russian Aerospace Forces who were assigned to motorised rifle units to defend Kursk Oblast, according to a source cited by the Vazhnie Istorii media outlet.

Source: Vazhnie Istorii (Important Stories) media outlet, founded by investigative journalists from Russia, citing open source data 

Quote: "The ‘aerospace infantry’ was deployed to defend Kursk Oblast. Due to the lack of personnel in the motorised rifle units, they took soldiers from the Russian Aerospace Forces units, including these from nuclear warning stations and squadrons of heavy bombers."

Details: According to reports, Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) soldiers formed a motorised rifle regiment in May or June as a border cover group. Mid-July was when the VKS infantry landed in the border territories, many weeks ahead of Ukraine’s Armed Forces offensive.

The publication's source stated that the unit consisted of engineers, mechanics, soldiers from the guard company, and a few flight crew officers.

They were assigned to infantry units, coming from various airfields: Ukrainka in the Altai Krai, Belaya in Irkutsk Oblast, and Engels in Saratov Oblast. Heavy Tu-22M or Tu-95 bombers are stationed at each of these airbases, from which missiles are fired into Ukrainian cities.

Additionally, there are personnel from Voronezh radar stations, staff from special VKS warehouses, and servicemen from one of the Russian cosmodromes. These stations are positioned to alert people in the event of a nuclear attack near Russia's borders.

The article claims that "aerospace infantry" is already losing men. For example, 22-year-old Ilya Romanov vanished during the fighting near Korenevo, Kursk Oblast. He was assigned to the infantry after serving in the 28th Arsenal of Aerospace Forces in the Tambov district, which is a location of greatest secrecy where Russian satellites and missiles are kept.

Vazhnye Istorii writes that on the evening of 9 August, motorised infantry from the VKS were most likely part of the equipment convoy that was destroyed by a HIMARS strike close to Rylsk in Kursk Oblast. On this very day, 22-year-old VKS Sergeant Vyacheslav Bondarenko, who had been transferred from the heavy bomber air base in Amur Oblast, sustained injuries.

Background: Ukraine's operation in Kursk Oblast illustrates how Ukrainian forces can use manoeuvre warfare to compensate for Russia's superiority in manpower and equipment, writes the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Support UP or become our patron!