CNN
—
Ukraine launched a counterattack in Kursk, south of Russia’s border, warning that Russia was “getting what it deserves.”
Andriy Kovalenko, director of the Ukrainian Center for Combating Disinformation, a public agency, said that months after the Ukrainian military began its invasion of the region, it launched surprise attacks on Russian forces in several locations across Kursk. said.
“Good news, Kursk region. Russia is getting what it deserves,” Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential administration, said in a brief telegram on Sunday.
Ukrainian forces first launched an invasion of Kursk in August and lost much of the territory they captured, despite efforts by Russian troops and recently dispatched North Korean troops to push Ukrainian forces back across the border. I’ve kept it.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that Ukrainian forces had launched a counterattack to thwart the Russian attack, according to state-run TASS news agency. Both sides were repulsed, the newspaper said, adding that the Ukrainian military attack, which included two tanks and seven armored vehicles, was destroyed near the village of Berdin, about 15 kilometers from the border.
CNN cannot verify battlefield coverage.
The Kursk Offensive, the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power after World War II, surprised Russia and its Ukrainian allies when it began. Kiev’s forces advanced rapidly, but eventually Russia began to push them back. Control lines have not changed dramatically in recent months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Saturday that Russian troops were defeated by North Korean soldiers and a battalion of Russian paratroopers in a battle near the village of Makhnovka. A battalion typically consists of several hundred troops.
An unofficial Russian military blog that frequently provides reliable reporting on the Ukraine conflict confirmed the fighting on Sunday. Some stated that the Ukrainians were moving north toward Berdin.
“The enemy has committed its reserves to the offensive in the Kursk region,” said one blog on Sunday.
Video shows burnt out Russian truck with bodies in Kursk region
“As a countermeasure, the AFU covered the area with powerful radio-electronic warfare systems and disrupted our UAV (drone) operations,” the blog said. “Small arms combat is taking place, and our artillery and tanks are actively engaging the enemy.”
A second blog gave a similar statement, saying that although the offensive began in the Suzha region, the Ukrainian army also landed paratroopers and intensified fighting in other directions.
“In this latest attack, the enemy is using demining trawlers, tanks and other armored vehicles,” the blog said, adding that the frozen ground is making the attacks possible, but is not expected to continue. He added that he had not done so. It added that Russian bombers were active.
According to Ukrainian and Western assessments, about 11,000 North Korean troops are stationed in the Kursk region and have occupied large swathes of territory in the region after Ukrainian forces launched an invasion across the border. There is.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to say when Russia would retake the southern Kursk region after a telephone question at a year-end press conference last month.
“Our men are fighting, fighting is happening, and it’s serious fighting. For unknown reasons, the Ukrainian military has entered the Kursk region, stayed there as it is now, and brought in elite forces. There was no military meaning in carrying out this massacre,” Putin said.
One possible motive behind Kiev’s decision to enter Russia was to improve hands ahead of future ceasefire negotiations.
President-elect Donald Trump has said he will end the war “within 24 hours,” but has not said how and has disputed future military aid to Ukraine.
President Zelenskiy said last week that North Korea’s military was facing serious losses and accused Russia of sending them into battle with “minimal protection.”
