Moscow’s military says the Ukrainian army is carrying out a new “counter-offensive” in the Russian border region of Kursk, which it has repelled “artillery and aviation”.
Moscow claimed on Sunday January 5 to repel a new Ukrainian offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, where kyiv’s forces already control several hundred square kilometers since an assault in August 2024, a surprise operation two weeks before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
The entry into office of the “unpredictable” Republican on January 20 makes Ukraine fear a drastic reduction in support from the United States, which is nevertheless vital for the Ukrainian forces, and that the next American president, who has sworn to be able to resolving the conflict “in 24 hours”, does not force the Ukrainians to make concessions to Vladimir Putin.
“Around 9 a.m., the enemy launched a counterattack in order to stop the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk area,” the Russian army said in a statement on Sunday.
“Russia gets what it deserves”
According to her, “the assault group of the Ukrainian army was defeated by artillery and aviation” and “the operation to destroy units of the Ukrainian forces continues.” The Ukrainian army remains silent for the moment about this new operation.
Russia is now supported in this area by thousands of North Korean soldiers, according to the West and kyiv.
The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Iermak, broadcast a fairly clear message on Telegram: “Kursk region, good news. Russia is getting what it deserves.”
A communication tackled by Ukrainian MP Oleksiï Goncharenko, regularly critical of the government: “I don’t understand why it is necessary to make an official report.” “Perhaps it would be better to do it after the fact, once the operation is finished?”, he commented.
Andriï Kovalenko, an official of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, for his part assured that the Russians had “been attacked from several sides, which surprised them”.
According to the Telegram channel Mash, considered close to the Russian authorities, “the men of the Ukrainian army move in small groups.” “The total number of their soldiers is 2,000,” she added.
Donald Trump promised to stop the “carnage”
According to Russian military bloggers, well informed of the progress of the hostilities, Ukrainian forces are particularly trying to take control of Berdine, a small town located about 20 kilometers from the border.
“The enemy’s electronic warfare equipment is increasingly active on the site, which hampers the use of drones,” the “Rybar” channel, close to the Russian army and followed by more than of 1.3 million subscribers.
This Ukrainian assault in the Kursk region comes two weeks before the return to the White House of Donald Trump, who called for an “immediate” ceasefire and promised to obtain a peace agreement to stop “the carnage” , without however ever detailing his plan.
He also said he was opposed to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles, a red line for Moscow.
Russian advances
This new offensive by kyiv also comes five months after the first in the same region of Kursk, which took the Russian forces by surprise, a failure for President Vladimir Putin who has praised a “more sovereign” Russia since the start of the assault. of his men against Ukraine in February 2022.
The master of the Kremlin, who appeared irritated on television in August in the wake of the Ukrainian military operation on the soil of his country, had called on the Russian army to “push the enemy” beyond the borders.
kyiv’s objectives were then to force Moscow to redeploy its troops, attacking the eastern front, to this new battlefield and to strengthen its position at the negotiating table before possible peace talks.
The operation did not have the desired effect: Russian units have been advancing on the Eastern Front since the fall at a speed not seen since March 2022.
Despite everything, a highly placed source within the general staff of the Ukrainian army assured at the end of November that it would remain in the Kursk region “as long” as it was “interesting”, specifying that it still controlled at that time “around 800 km2”.
