Ukrainian Forces Launch Renewed Attack in Russia’s Kursk Region

Last updated on January 6th, 2025 at 08:59 am

Ukrainian forces launched a renewed assault in the western Russian border region of Kursk over the weekend, hoping to solidify their hold over the Russian territory.

Ukrainian troops first marched into the Kursk region in a surprise August offensive, taking a swathe of territory along the Russia-Ukraine border. Russian forces have gradually retaken around half of the territory that Ukrainian forces initially captured, but have been unable to fully dislodge them.

In a Jan. 5 press statement, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported this renewed Kursk assault saw paratroopers supporting an advance by two tanks, a counter-obstacle vehicle, and 12 armored fighting vehicles in the Berdin area. The Russian forces claimed they destroyed the counter-obstacle vehicle, both tanks, and seven of the 12 armored fighting vehicles, and are working to defeat the rest of the assault force.

In a statement the day prior, the Russian military said its forces had inflicted casualties on more than 540 Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region over the preceding 24 hours.

Ukrainian defense officials have hinted at a renewed assault in the Kursk region, but have given few details about the scope of this latest attack.

Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian military’s Center for Countering Disinformation, claimed this new Kursk assault caught once again caught Russian forces off guard.

“In the Kursk region, Russians are deeply worried as they were attacked in several directions, which came as a surprise to the,” Kovalenko said on social media.

Andriy Yermak posted a more cryptic message on Telegram on Jan. 5, stating, “Kurshchina, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves.” Kurshchina is another name for the Kursk region.

Kovalenko has gone on to share a video purporting to show strikes on Russian troops and armored vehicles in the Kursk region.

He shared another video claiming to show North Korean troops, dressed in Russian uniforms, driving the residents of the Kursk region out of their homes.

Ukraine, along with its various western backers, have claimed several thousands of North Korea has assigned thousands of its soldiers to assist Russian forces in the fighting in the Kursk region in recent weeks. Moscow and Pyongyang have not confirmed this alleged North Korean troop deployment.

Losses on both sides of the fighting in the Kursk region, and throughout the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, cannot be independently verified.

The full-scale Russian military operation in Ukraine began nearly three years ago, in February of 2022. Lower level fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-friendly separatists in eastern Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014.

Russian forces currently control about a fifth of Ukraine’s pre-war territory. The Kyiv government may be trying to maintain control over parts of the Kursk region as a bargaining chip in future negotiations to halt the fighting.

President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to take office on Jan. 20, has signaled a preference for quickly negotiating an end to the fighting.