“The assault group of the Ukrainian army was defeated by artillery and aviation,” says the Russian army.
Published on 05/01/2025 13:26
Updated on 05/01/2025 13:41
Reading time: 2min
The Russian army affirmed, Sunday January 5, that Ukraine had launched “a counterattack” in the Russian region of Kursk, where kyiv's forces already control several hundred square kilometers since an offensive in August 2024. “Around 9 o'clock [7 heures à Paris]the enemy launched a counterattack in order to stop the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk area”declared the Russian army 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.
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”.
On the occasion of his New Year address to the Nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared, Tuesday, December 31, that Ukraine should fight in 2025 on the “battlefield”but also to the “negotiation table” to end nearly three years of Russian invasion. For weeks, speculation has been rife about possible future peace talks. Up his sleeve, Volodymyr Zelensky benefits from the fact that his army has occupied several hundred square kilometers of the Russian region of Kursk since August, a thorn in the side of Vladimir Putin. But the latter now has the support of thousands of North Korean soldiers.