Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine has begun a “counterattack” in Kursk, a territory on the western border where Kyiv’s military launched a surprise ground incursion in August of last year.
Although the extent of Ukraine’s progress in the area was not immediately apparent, pro-Kremlin military bloggers had earlier claimed that a potent new offensive was under progress.
According to the ministry, Ukraine’s latest attack, which was aimed at the town of Berdin, which is roughly 15 kilometers northeast of Sudzha, involved the use of two tanks, a dozen armored vehicles, and a demolition squad.
“The effort to demolish the Ukrainian army formations is still ongoing.” Shortly after beginning their offensive in August 2024, Kyiv’s soldiers took Sudzha, which they have maintained ever since.
Limited information regarding the offensive was provided by Ukrainian officials.
“Defence forces are working” in the region, remarked Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, on Telegram. He stated that the Russians in the Kursk region are extremely concerned since they were caught off guard and attacked from multiple directions.
In the Kursk region, pro-Kremlin military bloggers acknowledged pressure on the Russian army.
“The key events of the next Ukrainian army offensive attempt are obviously still ahead of us,” Rybar, a prominent pro-Russian blogger, stated.
North Korean military forces
Soon after its invasion began on August 6, 2024, Kyiv took control of dozens of villages in the Kursk region, but its progress slowed when Moscow sent thousands of troops from its ally Pyongyang to the area as reinforcements.
That day and the day before, hostilities in the Kursk region claimed the lives of “up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian airborne troops,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared Saturday evening.
The apparent new onslaught from Kyiv coincides with a pivotal point in the nearly three-year conflict as US President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged a speedy truce, prepares to assume office on January 20.
Ahead of the Republican’s inauguration, the administration of incumbent Joe Biden has announced nearly $6 billion in budgetary and military assistance for Ukraine.
Since the start of the year, Russia and Ukraine have been exchanging frequent assaults. While Kyiv said Moscow fired 103 drones into its territory, Russia claimed Sunday it shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones overnight in a barrage that damaged homes and prompted air alarms.
At least eight flights had to change their routes early on Sunday after four Russian airports temporarily halted operations for “safety” reasons, according to a spokesman for Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority.
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