YAN DOBRONOSOV/AFP
War in Ukraine: what we know about kyiv’s “counterattack” in the Russian region of Kursk (Photo taken in Kursk in August 2024)
UKRAINE – The counterattack of the counterattack. The Russian army claimed this Sunday, January 5, that Ukraine had launched “a counterattack” in the Russian region of Kursk, where kyiv’s forces control several hundred square kilometers since an offensive in August 2024, notably controlling the small town of Soudja.
“Around 9 a.m. (7 a.m. Paris time), 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, according to which “the assault group of the Ukrainian army was defeated by artillery and aviation”. “The operation to destroy units of the Ukrainian forces continues”added the Russian army.
« Russia gets what it deserves »
The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriï Iermak, published a fairly clear message on Telegram, without directly confirming the Ukrainian initiative: “Kursk region, good news. Russia gets what it deserves ».
Andriï Kovalenko, an official of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, affirmed that the Russians “were attacked from several sides, which surprised them”.
The Telegram channel Mash, known to be close to the Russian authorities, for its part assured that “Ukrainian army men move in small groups. The total number of their troops amounts to 2,000 ».
According to Russian military bloggers, Ukrainian forces are trying to take control of Berdine, a small town located about 20 kilometers from the border between Ukraine and Russia.
-Stop the “ carnage »
This new offensive in the Russian region of Kursk by the Ukrainian army comes two weeks before the return to the White House of Donald Trump, who called for a ceasefire ” immediate “ 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 against Russian territory with American ATACMS missiles, a red line for Moscow.
This offensive also comes five months after a first successful cross-border assault which took Russian forces by surprise, in particular the border guards, a failure for President Vladimir Putin who praises a Russia “more sovereign” since the launch of his men’s assault against Ukraine in February 2022.
Also see on The HuffPost:
Reading this content may result in cookies being placed by the third party operator who hosts it. Taking into account the choices you have expressed regarding the deposit of cookies, we have blocked the display of this content. If you wish to access it, you must accept the “Third Party Content” category of cookies by clicking on the button below.
Play Video
