Russia has reported that Ukraine initiated a “counterattack” in the Kursk region along its western border, where Ukrainian forces commenced a surprise ground offensive last August.
Details regarding Ukraine’s advancements in the region remain unclear, but pro-Kremlin military bloggers had previously indicated that a significant new offensive was underway.
This assault takes place at a pivotal moment in the nearly three-year conflict, with both parties attempting to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House on 20 January.
“At approximately 9:00 am Moscow time (0600 GMT), to impede the advance of Russian forces in the Kursk direction, the enemy launched a counterattack,” stated the Russian defense ministry.
“The operation aimed at dismantling Ukrainian army formations is ongoing,” it added.
Pro-Kremlin military bloggers acknowledged that the Russian army was facing considerable pressure but asserted that Moscow was pushing back.
“The significant developments of the upcoming offensive by the Ukrainian army are clearly still to come,” influential pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar remarked.
Images allegedly depicting a convoy of Ukrainian armored vehicles traversing the snow were shared by pro-Russia military blogger Dva Mayora on Telegram.
Russians are ‘concerned’
Ukrainian officials provided minimal information regarding the new offensive, with a notable lawmaker advocating for discretion.
“I fail to see the necessity of officially reporting on the Kursk region. Perhaps it’s better to do so afterward when the operation concludes?” Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko stated.
Other officials expressed their satisfaction regarding the counteroffensive, which comes nearly three years since Moscow launched its extensive military invasion of Ukraine.
“Russia is reaping what it deserves,” said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president.
The head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, mentioned on Telegram that defense forces were “active” in the area without providing further details.
“In the Kursk region, the Russians are quite anxious because they were attacked from multiple directions, which caught them by surprise,” he noted.
Kyiv took control of numerous villages in the Kursk region soon after its incursion began on 6 August 2024, but progress halted when Moscow quickly deployed reinforcements to the area, including thousands of troops from its ally North Korea.
A source from the Ukrainian army informed AFP last November that Kyiv still held 800 square kilometers of the Russian border region, down from earlier claims of nearly 1,400 square kilometers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned last year that the Kursk operation had enhanced Kyiv’s “exchange fund” — its leverage regarding prisoner of war swaps — and redirected tens of thousands of Russian troops away from the eastern front.
He indicated on Saturday evening that “up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian airborne troops” had been lost in clashes in the Kursk region on that day and the previous one.
However, Kyiv has yet to successfully halt Moscow’s advances in Ukraine, which were seven times higher in 2024 compared to the previous year, based on an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
Airports closed
Since the start of the year, both Russia and Ukraine have regularly exchanged attacks.
Russia claimed to have downed numerous Ukrainian drones overnight in a strike that damaged homes and triggered air alerts, while Kyiv reported that Moscow launched 103 drones into its territory.
Four Russian airports briefly suspended operations early on Sunday for “safety” reasons, necessitating at least eight aircraft to change their flight paths, according to a spokesperson for Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia.
