On 28 August, the 2nd Panzer Group continued to advance southward, crossing the Desna River near Novgorod-Seversky and Korop by the end of the day. The Stavka ordered the Bryansk Front and Southwestern Front Air Forces to concentrate their aircraft on blocking the group's advance, but the aviation failed to halt the German troops. By the end of 29 August, XXIV Motorized Corps' 10th Motorized Division's lead Kampfgruppe had advanced 20 kilometers to the south, reaching positions to the north of the Seym River, 20 kilometers north of Bakhmach, and engaging elements of the 40th Army's 293rd Rifle Division in the Korop area and the 21st Army's 67th Rifle Corps along the Seym. At the same time, the 3rd Panzer Division reached Glukhov's western approaches, 50 kilometers southeast of the Desna at Novgorod-Seversky, where it ran into 40th Army's main body, including the 10th Tank Division and the 5th Antitank Brigade.
