Remember when Ukrainian marines won a major victory in Russian territory?

In October 2024, Ukrainian marines alongside troops from the country's Territorial Defense Forces won an important battle in Kursk Oblast that saw them recapture key towns first taken bye Ukraine in August.

Combat footage caught by a reconnaissance drone captured the stunning attack on Russian positions that resulted in a major victory according to the Ukrainian military news outlet Miltiarnyi. 

Marines from the 36th Mechanized Brigade working with soldiers from the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces and the 47th Mechanized Brigade reportedly retook two Russian villages after a brutal battle.

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

The Russian villages of Zelenyi Shlyakh and Novoivanivka were reported to have been captured by Ukrainian forces after an assault that the Militarnyi noted “almost completely forced out the Russian forces from the seized villages.”

Photo Credit: X @UAControlMap via @moklasen

Combat footage from the battle was published by the Ukrainian Naval Infantry Command’s press service on the group’s Telegram channel, and Militarnyi provided a full breakdown of the battle in the video. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot / Telegram @ukrainian_navy

An armored column of vehicles from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade led by T-64BV tanks advanced 2 kilometers (roughly 1.24 miles) down a highway leading into Russian forces and was met with some resistance. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

Russian forces attempted to stop the column two times during its advance but Ukrainian forces broke through Russian positions along treeline defensive positions outside of Zelenyi Shlyakh and reportedly eventually entered the village itself. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

The Ukrainian advance was supported by overhead reconnaissance drones and cluster munitions were reportedly used on Russian soldiers according to Militarnyi. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

Militarnyi also reported that the marines of the 36th Brigade fought off a Russian counterattack that included several armored vehicles and tanks. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

It is important to remember that the sources for the battle came from the Ukrainian military, so the claims should be taken with a grain of salt, but online war analyst WarAchive was able to geolocate the battlefield footage that was released. 

Photo Credit: Screenshot / Telegram @WarArchive_ua

“It is not yet clear whether the Defense Forces’ forward units have managed to gain a foothold in Zelenyi Shlyakh,” Militarnyi reported on October 22nd when it published its report on the assault. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

“However, if successful, this will create the preconditions for the Russian forces’ complete dislodgement from nearby Novoivanovka,” Militarnyi added. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

The villages of Zelenyi Shlyakh and Novoivanovka were formerly under Ukrainian control following the surprise invasion of Kursk, but they were lost after a Russian counterattack on October 10th retook large swaths of territory taken by Ukraine. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

After losing Zelenyi Shlyakh and Novoivanovka to Russia, Ukrainian forces in the area mounted devastating ambush attacks on Russian forces in the region around the two villages. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

“Ukrainian troops have conducted a series of successful ambushes, destroying several enemy armored convoys that were moving toward the settlements to consolidate and build on their success,” Militarnyi explained. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ukrainian_navy

“The new attack by the 36th Marine Brigade demonstrates that the Ukrainian forces in this area have shifted from trying to stop the enemy to full-fledged counterattacks and regaining ground,” Militarnyi added. 

Photo Credit: X UAControlMap / Edited by TheDailyDigest

Militarnyi also reported that Ukrainian units from the 103rd Mechanized Brigade and 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade had also bee seen using America-supplied M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles and M1A1 Abrams tanks in battles to retake Novoivanovka.

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

“In the video, armored vehicles of the 47th Mechanized Brigade are seen clearing buildings on the western outskirts of the settlement, reconnecting with the Marines of the 36th Brigade,” Militaryni explained. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @brygada47

As of December 2nd, the 36th Separate Marine Brigade was still in control of Zelenyi Shlyakh and Novoivanovka and reportedly repelled a Russian assault by elite Russian airborne troops in the area according to a report by Ukrainska Pravda relaying information published by the brigade.

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Photo Credit: Screenshot / YouTube @36obrmp