Ukraine Launches Fresh Offensive on Russia’s Kursk Territory

Intense combat is occurring for a second consecutive day in Russia’s Kursk region following Ukraine’s counter-offensive that began on Sunday.

Moscow reported that it responded to the offensive with artillery and aerial strikes, asserting on Monday that Russian forces had thwarted an attempt by Ukraine to break through.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned that the Kursk campaign, initiated with a large incursion in August, had created a buffer zone preventing the deployment of Russian troops in critical areas along the eastern front in Ukraine.

Both Ukraine and Russia claim to have inflicted casualties in the thousands on each other’s troops in Kursk, figures that the BBC has not been able to independently corroborate.

On Monday, the Ukrainian military reported that 15,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and 23,000 wounded in the last five months.

The preceding day, the Russian defense ministry stated that Ukraine had lost no less than 49,010 troops in Kursk, but did not clarify the numbers of casualties.

Per the ministry, a Ukrainian assault group comprising two tanks, a military engineering vehicle, and 12 armored fighting vehicles (AFVs) carried out an attack near the village of Berdin around 09:00 (06:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Russian forces retaliated, claiming to have destroyed both tanks, the military engineering vehicle, and seven armored fighting vehicles. Fighting persisted, they noted.

Aerial footage showing a convoy of armored vehicles traversing through snow-blanketed countryside during daylight while coming under fire, with vehicles sustaining damage, was released by the Russian state news agency Ria.

Andriy Kovalenko, Ukraine’s leading official on counter-disinformation, stated in a Telegram post: “The Russians in Kursk are facing significant anxiety due to being assaulted from multiple directions, which took them by surprise.”

A Russian blogger named Yury Podolyaka speculated that the operation might have served as a diversion, while another, Alexander Kots, did not dismiss the possibility that the principal attack might occur elsewhere.

Reports indicate that Kyiv’s forces are currently grappling with troop shortages and have been losing territory in eastern Ukraine in recent months as Russian forces advance.

In November, Ukraine disclosed that its troops had clashed with North Korean forces in the Kursk region.

The alleged presence of North Korean soldiers was a result of an unexpected incursion by Ukrainian forces across the border in August, which saw them advancing up to 18 miles (30km) into Russian territory.

Moscow evacuated nearly 200,000 residents from the border areas, and President Vladimir Putin condemned the Ukrainian aggression as a “serious provocation.”

After a fortnight, Ukraine’s chief commander asserted that over 1,200 square kilometers of Russian territory and 93 villages were under its control.

Some of this land has since been reclaimed by Russia.

Over the weekend, Zelensky stated that security assurances leading to a resolution of the war would be effective only if the United States under Donald Trump offered them.

In a podcast interview with Lex Fridman, he acknowledged the potential influence of the incoming US president and suggested Trump possessed the capacity to at least pause Russia’s ongoing invasion.

Trump committed during his election campaign to swiftly end the conflict, without elaborating on the specifics.

Zelensky stated: “Trump and I will reach an agreement and… propose robust security guarantees, alongside Europe, and thereafter we can engage in discussions with the Russians.”

However, on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron remarked that Ukraine must adopt a “realistic” stance on territorial matters and cautioned that there would be no “quick and easy” resolution to the strife.