'Pussta' was a German limited offensive by Generaloberst Ernst Busch’s 16^th Army to restore the position of Generalfeldmarschall Georg Küchler’s Heeresgruppe 'Nord' just to the south of Demyansk between Dedno and Pustynya (26/27 October 1942).

Here General Leytenant Maksim A. Purkayev’s 3^rd Shock Army and General Leytenant Andrei I. Eremenko’s 4^th Shock Army of General Polkovnik Pavel A. Kurochkin’s North-West Front had established themselves in a deep salient during the Soviet late-winter offensives between January and March 1942.

Following the success of 'Michael' (i), 'Pussta' represented the last attempt of the 16^th Army to widen the Ramushevo corridor into the Demyansk pocket on its northern side before the arrival of the winter weather late in 1942. Elements of seven German divisions were committed to the undertaking, which failed to achieve significant results and was terminated after only two days.