Part of the southern Russian region has been controlled by Ukrainian forces since the summer, when they launched a surprise offensive and captured a number of villages, including the smaller town of Suja. The Ukrainian attack has already been confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. TASR took over the information from the DPA agency.
“Kursk Oblast, Good News: Russia Gets What It Deserves,” wrote the head of the Ukrainian presidential office Andriy Jermak on Telegram, indirectly confirming the reports of military bloggers about the new Ukrainian progress in the area.
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, expressed himself in a similar vein, declaring that the Russians were caught by surprise in the Kursk region and that Ukrainian forces were advancing in several directions. It is not yet clear how far the Ukrainians managed to advance. However, according to AFP, pro-Russian military bloggers are writing about a massive offensive.
According to DPA, it seems that the main goal of the Ukrainians is road connection to the capital of the Kursk region north of Suzh. In videos circulating on the Internet, which are said to come from the Kursk region, several columns of Ukrainian armored vehicles can be seen moving at high speed. At their head are demining vehicles. According to Russian military bloggers, Kiev also makes extensive use of electronic warfare means to destroy Russian drones.
At noon, the Russian Ministry of Defense also reported on the Ukrainian attack, according to which the offensive began at 9:00 a.m. Moscow time (11.00 CET). According to the Russian authorities, Ukrainian forces used two tanks, more than ten armored vehicles and are heading towards the village of Berdin. “The operation to destroy the formations of the Ukrainian army continues,” the ministry writes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said on Saturday that Russian and allied North Korean troops in the Kursk region have suffered heavy losses in recent days.
The Ukrainian offensive, which takes place approximately two weeks before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, would, according to analysts, it could serve to expose Russian weaknesses in order to secure a better position before possible peace negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.