Sorry, I can't agree with you on the standstill part. The Soviet idea was take a defensive stance to try and stop the German attack, and then move over to a counter-attack. As such it does not make sense saying the Sovs were fought to a standstill as they were not attacking.

The Germans were doing all the attacking, in the North by Model's 9th Army - which managed to penetrate some 18km and then could proceed no further, and in the South by v.Manstein's 4th Pz Army.

4thPzArmy was already feeling some difficulties and its component II SSPzKps was already veering towards Prokhorovka as the direct Oboyan-Kursk axis was found to be too difficult. In order to relieve the pressure on the Southern shoulder of the Kursk salient, Stavka started Op. Rumiantsev, an all-the-way counter-attack by the forces that had already fought off 9th Army in the North shoulder, and which were ordered to "come as you are" instead of having a couple of weeks for rest and refit.

Later on, after the German Southern prong was "fought to a standstill" (per your words and this time correctly), then was op. Kutuzov launched as a counter-attack on the Southwestern direction, towards Bielgorod, Kharkov and beyond.

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