Ukrainian troops have crossed the border into Russia, opening a new axis into the Belgorod region.
The open-source intelligence X account Intelschizo posted a map of the alleged incursion, saying that Ukrainian forces had “purportedly crossed the Russian border and opened a new axis into Belgorod IVO Zhuravlyovka. We will have to wait and see how this develops.”
The claim, which comes two months into Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, has not been independently confirmed, and Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries for comment.
An aerial view shows the destroyed city of Vovchansk near the border with Russia on October 2, 2024 in the Kharkiv region. Ukrainian forces have reportedly crossed into the area on October 16, 2024.
Intelschizo’s map purports to show a Russian supply line highlighted in orange. It said that Ukraine could be trying to cut off Moscow’s only supply line by road at a time when conditions are becoming very muddy.
“It will make holding the Lyptsi sector extremely difficult as they will be forced to bring supplies across flat open farm fields resulting in a lot of vehicles getting stuck and destroyed in the mud similar to Ukraine’s Road of Life at Bakhmut,” the post added, referring to Ukraine’s crucial transport link in the Donetsk region.
AFU has purportedly crossed the Russian border and opened a new axis into Belgorod IVO Zhuravlyovka. We will have to wait and see how this develops. If Ukraine can push through in this sector they will cut off Russia’s primary supply line for Task Group North in the Lyptsi… pic.twitter.com/93W4RBZThf
— Intelschizo (@Schizointel) October 16, 2024
The journalist Tim White said on X that a Ukrainian brigade had published a video of destroyed equipment in a forest at Zhuravlyovka, which is just over the border, while pro-Moscow military bloggers shared video of Russian positions being shelled.
“Z channels haven’t acknowledged the forest is in Russia but it’s been geolocated,” White posted. “If Ukraine has launched a new tactical incursion rather than just ‘scouts’, it could make sense, to cut off the 14H-146 supply line.”
Ukraine’s Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) said on Wednesday that its military intelligence units had cleared a 400-hectare forest north of the village of Lyptsi, in the north of Kharkiv region, in which they “destroyed” three Russian motorized rifle battalions.
The Ukrainian military’s post did not mention any incursion into Russian territory nor did Russia’s milbloggers.
Newsweek‘s latest map shows Ukraine’s push in the Kharkiv region, as well as Russian advances northwest of Kruglenkoye and east of Lyubimovka in Russia’s Kursk region.
The map also showed Russia’s capture of Makiivka and Nevske in the Luhansk region and Moscow’s advances around Toretsk, in the Donetsk oblast.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Russian forces conducted ground assaults northeast of Kharkiv City near Vovchansk and Starytsya but did not make any confirmed gains.
Ukrainian advances north of Lyptsi were also shown on maps by the Ukrainian DeepState social-media account, which also noted how Russian forces had made gains further south in the Donetsk region.
