LIVE – Ukraine-Russia War: kyiv says it is carrying out “new offensive operations” in the Russian region of Kursk

The Ukrainian army said on Tuesday it was carrying out “new offensive operations”, notably striking “a military command post” in the Russian region of Kursk, where it has occupied several hundred km2 since August 2024.

This “precision strike” and other operations “were coordinated with Ukrainian ground forces which are currently beginning new offensive operations,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a statement published in English, without specifying whether American missiles ATACMS had been used. The Russian army reported on Sunday a new Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region.

While he was supposed to go to kyiv to meet Ukrainian leaders at the beginning of January, the American envoy for Ukraine and Russia chosen by Donald Trump will ultimately not go to Ukraine before the inauguration of the American president-elect, scheduled for January 20.

Asked at a press conference, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha explained that “General Keith Kellogg’s visit” was “extremely important”. “I am sure that this meeting will take place in due time. We are in contact to clearly define the timetable,” he said. The person concerned also assured that “all visits” from “American friends” were welcome.

The Ukrainian army claims to continue fighting in Kurakhové, an industrial town in eastern Ukraine whose capture was claimed the day before by Russia.

Russian forces said Monday they had raised the flag over this town which had around 18,000 inhabitants before the war and which constituted an important defensive position for Ukrainian forces in the south of this industrial region in the east of the country.

This loss has not been confirmed by Ukraine. On Tuesday morning, the Khortytsia troop group, which is fighting in the area, assured that “in the Kurakhové sector, the defense forces oppose the enemy’s attempts to use its superiority in men and develop a offensive”.

Ukrainians still mostly support President Volodymyr Zelensky in his action, after almost three years of Russian invasion, a figure which will however decline in 2024, according to the results of a poll published by the International Institute of Sociology in kyiv.

According to the results, at the end of 2024, 52% of Ukrainians surveyed said they “had confidence” in Volodymyr Zelensky, a figure down significantly compared to the end of 2023 (77%), reflecting a waning of support for the Ukrainian president.

Now, according to this survey, nearly 4 in 10 Ukrainians (39%) say they “do not have confidence” in Volodymyr Zelensky, almost double compared to December 2023 (22%).

Volodymyr Zelensky estimates on X that Vladimir Putin’s troops have “already lost more than 38,000 soldiers” in the Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine is leading an offensive.

In its daily update this Tuesday, the Ukrainian army declared on Facebook (new window) having “damaged 10 Russian tanks, 25 armored combat vehicles and 45 artillery systems” over the last 24 hours.

In his traditional speech on social networks, Volodymyr Zekensky returned to the situation in the Russian region of Kursk, where the Ukrainian army is leading an offensive. “We continue to maintain a buffer zone on Russian territory, actively destroying its military potential,” assured the Ukrainian president.

“The Russians have deployed their most powerful units to Kursk, including North Korean soldiers. It is important to note that all these troops cannot be redirected to other fronts, neither to the Donetsk region, nor to Sumy , the Kharkiv region or Zaporizhia,” added the Ukrainian president.

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, yesterday called on Ukraine to “conduct realistic discussions on territorial issues” to obtain peace with the Kremlin, which demands that kyiv cede four regions partially in the hands of the Russians, in addition of Crimea annexed in 2014, and renounces entering NATO. Unacceptable conditions for Volodymyr Zelensky.

The commander of the Ukrainian land forces, Mikhaïlo Drapaty, also recognized “problems” within the “Anne of kyiv” brigade, partly trained and equipped by France, after press revelations on cases of abuse of power and numerous desertions.

In the Kursk region, the Russian army announced on Sunday that it was facing “a counterattack” from kyiv troops. The Ukrainians have occupied a few hundred square kilometers there since August, despite attempts to dislodge them from Russian troops, supported in this sector by North Korean soldiers, according to kyiv and the West.

The Russian army claims that this Ukrainian “breakthrough attempt” targeted the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye and was “foiled”. Apart from Mikhaïlo Drapaty’s brief speech, the Ukrainian army has remained largely silent at this stage on the current operation and its objective.

Russia claimed yesterday the capture of the mining town of Kurakhové, in eastern Ukraine, after a battle of nearly three months, estimating that its conquest will allow it to fully seize the Donetsk region “at an accelerated pace.

This announcement comes at a time when Ukrainian forces, who have been retreating for months on the eastern front, have, according to Moscow, launched a new offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, of which they have controlled several hundred square kilometers since August 2024.