Russia Map Shows Trenches Built Dozens of Miles From Kursk Front Line

Russia's forces have started digging trenches nearly 30 miles from the border with Ukraine, as a map shows the latest state of play during Kyiv's incursion into the Kursk oblast, a move that continues to gain momentum.

Ukraine's unprecedented operation started on August 6 and has seen its forces seize control of 74 settlements and 385 square miles of territory, according to Kyiv's claims, which have not been independently corroborated. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Defense Ministry for comment.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian TSN news program showed Kyiv's troops removing the Russian flag from the Kursk town of Sudzha, although Russian state media reported that Kyiv did not control the settlement, which is located around 6 miles from the border.

On Tuesday, the OSINTtechnical X account, which monitors the war, posted how satellite imagery showed that Russian troops "are rapidly digging a network of trenches in Kursk Oblast, with only one catch—the trenches are 45 km (27 miles) behind the border."

"Russian forces have been developing a trench network that, if fallen back to, would cede Ukraine a massive amount of territory," the post added, next to a map outlining the imagery of the area.

In reporting the development, independent Russian news outlet Agentstvo said that Russian troops had started to dig trenches around the town of Lgov.

"Fresh trenches are visible on satellite images from several areas of the Kursk region," the post said, noting their appearance 1 mile south of Lgov, as well as along the railway near the village of Viktorovka 2.5 miles further southwest.

While the trenches closest to the border are 45 kilometers from the frontier, "the farthest point is near Kursk, 75 km (47 miles) from the border," the post said, "trenches appeared at the intersection, which was passed by convoys of Russian equipment sent to the Kursk region on Friday."

Ukrainian forces continue to mount successful pushes into Kursk, maneuvering around Russia's lines for over a week, while Russian milbloggers are critical that President Vladimir Putin's forces have not been able to mount a solid defense.

There is still uncertainty over what Kyiv's objectives are, although Heorhii Tykhyi, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said on Monday that the incursion aims to prevent Moscow from sending reinforcements to Donetsk Oblast and disrupt Russian logistics and cross-border attacks.

"Keeping the momentum up is becoming increasingly difficult in the coming days, as the element of surprise fades," Emil Kastehelmi, a military expert from the Finland-based OSINT analysis firm Black Bird Group, told Newsweek.

"This doesn't mean that the movement will fully stop, but Ukraine likely needs to commit more forces and maybe open up new directions if it wants greater gains."

Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region that neighbors Kursk, declared a state of emergency following Ukrainian drones strikes, which have destroyed homes and caused civilian casualties.

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