New offensive? Armed Forces strike Russia’s Kursk region: Details emerging

Around 11:00, the Center for Countering Disinformation reported attacks by the Defense Forces on Russian positions in several areas of the Kursk region.

"In the Kursk region, the Russians are deeply concerned because they were attacked on several fronts, and this came as a surprise to them," wrote the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation Andriy Kovalenko.

The actions of the Defense Forces in this direction were not hidden by the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak.

"Kursk region, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves," he noted.

Meanwhile, Russian war correspondents claimed that Ukrainian forces were allegedly advancing from the city of Sudzha toward the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye and to the northeast of Sudzha near the village of Russkoe Porechnoe and the Berdin settlement.

It should be noted that Bolshoye Soldatskoye is located 20 km northeast of the Ukrainian-occupied Sudzha and 80 km toward Kursk.

Russian Telegram channels report that "the Ukrainians have gathered six brigades for the attack and are advancing with armored units" toward the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye and the neighboring Berdin settlement along the 38K-004 highway, as well as attacking Russian positions in the village of Pushkarnoye (Kursk region).

Defense Forces are advancing on multiple fronts in the Kursk region (deepstatemap.live)

Defense Forces are advancing on multiple fronts in the Kursk region (deepstatemap.live)

Defense Forces are advancing on multiple fronts in the Kursk region (deepstatemap.live)

Later, Russian media claimed the capture of Berdin, with the alleged primary goal of the Defense Forces being the "capture" of the nuclear power plant in Kurschatov, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's statement in late October that Ukraine could have taken the Kursk nuclear power plant but chose not to.

However, there is no official information from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces regarding the situation in the Kursk direction. Russia has not commented on the situation yet, but it is known that Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-Bek Yevkurov arrived in Kursk.

Importance of the Kursk operation

In the summer, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that thanks to the operation in the Kursk region, Ukraine was able to avert the threat of occupation of parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions, notably by creating a buffer zone on Russian territory.

The president had also previously indicated that the Kursk operation could be used for diplomatic purposes. Recently, Zelenskyy mentioned that the Kursk operation is a strong asset for Ukraine, particularly in its relations with Global South countries.

Situation in the Kursk region

Ukrainian forces launched an offensive in the Kursk region in early August 2024. By the end of the summer, reports indicated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces controlled 100 settlements in the Kursk region and had captured nearly 600 Russian soldiers.

In October, Russian forces attempted to regain control of settlements in the Kursk region that had been taken by Ukraine. To do this, as President Zelenskyy mentioned, Russia deployed around 45,000 soldiers to the Kursk direction.

By November, Reuters reported that Ukraine had lost over 40% of the territory in the Kursk region that it had controlled during the operation that began in August.

Additionally, the Kremlin sent North Korean troops to the Kursk region to participate in the war in Ukraine. However, this did not reduce Russia's losses in the region. On January 4, it was reported that Russia lost up to a battalion of North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region over the past two days.