Oleg Petrasyuk / EPA-EFE
T-72 tank of Soviet origin supplied by Czechia to the Ukrainian army
Russia said this Sunday that Ukraine had launched a “counterattack” in the western border region of Kursk, where Kiev forces already control several hundred km.2 after an offensive launched in August 2024
Russian media outlets claim this Sunday that Ukraine has launched an operation offensive with armored vehicles from Sudzha towards Bolshoye Soldatskoye, in the Kursk region.
“Around 9:00 Moscow time, to stop the advance of Russian troops in the direction of Kursk, the enemy launched a counterattack,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement published on Telegram.
“The operation to destroy Ukrainian army formations continues,” the Kremlin statement added.
According to , although it is not yet possible to estimate how much territory Ukraine has conquered in the region, pro-Kremlin military bloggers reported that “a new and powerful offensive was ongoing.”
The attack comes in a critical moment of the conflict of almost three years, with both parties seeking to strengthen their negotiating position before the return of the US President-elect, Donald Trumpto the White House, on January 20th.
In recent months, Russian forces made important gains in the region, forcing Ukrainian forces to retreat, but failing to expel them completely, notes .
Ukraine will have used it in the offensive two tankstwelve armored vehicles and a demolition unit, which headed towards the village of Berdin, about 15 kilometers northeast of Sudzha, specifies the note from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Pro-Kremlin military channels admitted that the Russian army was under pressure, but stated that Moscow was fighting back. “The main events of the next offensive attempt by the Ukrainian army are clearly still to come,” said the influential pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar.
Images purportedly showing a column of Ukrainian armored vehicles crossing the snow were shared by pro-Russian military blogger Dva Mayora no Telegram.
A number of Russian channels say that Ukraine has began an offensive operation from near Sudzha towards Bolshoye Soldatskoye in Kursk oblast with armored vehicles. They say Ukrainian EW has been effective against their UAVs and that Ukrainian units cleared mines overnight.…
— Rob Lee (@RALee85)
The Ukrainian authorities gave few details about the new offensive, with the Ukrainian deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko appealed to silence.
“I cannot understand why it is necessary to officially report on the Kursk region. Perhaps it would be better to do it later, when the operation is over?” said Goncharenko, quoted by the AFP agency.
Other officials expressed their delight with the Ukrainian reaction, which comes almost three years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “THE Russia is getting what it deserves“, said the head of staff of the Ukrainian presidency, Andriy Yermak.
“In the Kursk region, the Russians are very worried because they were attacked from several directions, and it was a surprise for them“, said on Telegram the head of the Center for Combating Disinformation in Ukraine, Andriy Kovalenkoadding, without details, that defense forces were “working” in the area.
