Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continues to claim that Belarus will strengthen its force concentrations along the border with Ukraine amid the Ukrainian incursion into Russia and following Belarusian accusations that Ukraine violated Belarusian airspace. Lukashenko stated that he plans for over 20 Belarusian battalion tactical groups to operate along the border with Ukraine by an unspecified date and claimed that Ukrainian provocations forced Belarus to transfer a third of its army to the southern border.[61] ISW has yet to observe this alleged significant Belarusian deployment to the border with Ukraine, however. Lukashenko reiterated rhetoric meant to support Kremlin information operations threatening escalation after Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast while attempting to posture Belarus as a sovereign state.[62] Russian and Belarusian officials have previously conducted information operations suggesting that Belarusian forces might escalate along the border with Ukraine in order to draw and fix Ukrainian forces to the Belarusian border, but Belarus will almost certainly not directly enter the war in Ukraine.[63]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-18-2024
earlier https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4042550/posts?page=6951#6951
Chechen Akhmat Spetsnaz Commander Apty Alaudinov aggravated a situation that the Kremlin has historically treated with extreme caution by calling for conscripts to participate in combat operations in Kursk Oblast and dismissing concerns from relatives of conscripts. Alaudinov responded in a video message on August 19 to the “sobs and outbursts” about Russian conscripts fighting in Kursk Oblast, complaining that parents of conscripts are treating 18-year-olds as children.[10] Alaudinov claimed that Russian conscripts are employees of the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) and must defend Russia. Alaudinov complained that conscripts are just “eat[ing] the state's bread for free ... and then go home.” Alaudinov responded to complaints that conscripts are paid little, calling on conscripts to sign a contract with the MoD if they want to receive higher salaries. Alaudinov called for all Russians young and old to “stand in formation” since “the enemy has come to [Russia], stating that “no one will die who is not destined to die, but if you die defending [Russia] and your faith in God, you will go to heaven.” A Telegram channel associated with the Akhmat “Aida” group also claimed on August 19 that the conscripts they have encountered in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast are not 18-year-olds, but 21-to-25-year-olds.[11] The “Aida”-affiliated channel suggested that the fact that Ukrainian forces are on Russian territory is more important than any discussions about casualties among Russian conscripts.
Family members of Russian conscripts have recently complained about the involvement of Russian conscripts in Russian border-defense operations.[12] The Kremlin has shown great concern about societal backlash regarding issues concerning conscripts, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously taken action to appease the complaints of conscripts’ relatives. The continued presence of Russian conscripts in the border areas during the Ukrainian incursion threatens the Kremlin with a potential political crisis regarding casualties among Russian conscripts. Alaudinov has postured himself as a spokesperson for the Russian defense in Kursk Oblast, and Russian newswire TASS has repeatedly amplified his statements following the Ukrainian incursion.[13] Blatant calls from Alaudinov — a widely promoted Russian authority — for conscripts’ relatives to stop complaining, for conscripts to participate in combat operations in Russia's border area, and for Russian citizens to embrace casualties among conscripts and other servicemembers may exacerbate tensions in Russian society and potentially threaten the stability of Putin's regime. Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov has notably made only limited public statements about the Ukrainian incursion in Kursk Oblast, despite Alaudinov’s and Akhmat Spetsnaz’s pronounced roles in the Russian response.[14]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-august-19-2024