The concrete pyramids, which stand about 4 feet tall, are meant to block and damage Ukrainian tanks and other armored vehicles.
The Russian military bloggers, who've long been an important source of independent information about the Russian military, complained that "dozens" of military personnel and civilians had lost their lives crashing into the barriers, according to the ISW.
The reports suggest that there is "exceedingly poor communication between Russian field commanders, local law enforcement, and engineering troops regarding the construction of such fortifications," said the ISW.
It said that a Russian insider source said a Russian first responder driving an evacuation car in Rylsky Raion, Kursk Oblast, crashed into a dragon's teeth barrier in the dark, severely damaging the vehicle.
Some accounts on Telegram, according to Newsweek, said the fortifications were the work of "saboteurs," intentionally seeking to cause chaos in Russia.
Business Insider was unable to establish who was responsible for placing the barriers.
Russian commanders have, throughout the war, faced criticism from Russia's military bloggers for what they say are inept decisions that have hampered Russia's campaign in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces occupy around 386 square miles of territory in Kursk, while Russian forces have continued to make incremental advances in east Ukraine.
The war has been costly. In 2024, Russia's projected loss is between $27 billion and $34 billion, according to the Atlantic Council.
Last month, Jay Zagorsky, an economist and markets professor at Boston University's Questrom School of Business, said that despite the costs, war may be the only thing keeping Russia's economy afloat.
"The Russian economy right now is being propped up by large amounts of government spending, so there's not going to be a slowdown in any sector in the economy that the Russia government is buying supplies from," Zagorsky told BI.
"So if there was no war, oh yes, I think there'd be an immediate recession."
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