LIVE – War in Ukraine: Russia says it has conquered the town of Kurakhové in eastern Ukraine

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.