Moscow says Ukraine is launching a new offensive in the Kursk region in western Russia By Reuters

Written by Mark Trevelyan

(Reuters) – Ukrainian forces have launched a major new offensive in Russia’s western Kursk region, Russian military bloggers reported on Sunday.

Ukrainian forces broke through the border in a surprise attack on Aug. 6, and for the past five months he has resisted Russia’s attempts to expel them.

Reports from Russian bloggers, who support Moscow’s war in Ukraine but often report seriously on the shortcomings and obstacles, have shown that the recent attack on Ukraine has put Russian forces on the defensive.

“Despite the heavy pressure of the enemy, our units bravely held the line,” Operativnye Svodki (Operation Reports) channel said.

It said that armed and small arms battles are continuing, and Ukraine is using Western armored vehicles to bring in more infantry.

The reports, which Reuters could not independently verify, said the fighting was near the town of Bolshoye Soldatskoye.

But another influential observer, Yuri Podolyak, says this could be a Ukrainian distraction, perhaps preparing a strike at Glushkovo, further west. He encouraged local residents and those from another village, Korenevo, to move.

Ukrainian and Western analysts say about 11,000 troops from Russia’s ally North Korea have been deployed in the Kursk region to support Moscow’s forces. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied their existence.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Russian and North Korean forces have suffered heavy losses.

“In the battles of yesterday and today near only one village, Makhnovka, in the Kursk region, the Russian army lost an army of North Korean infantry and Russian paratroops,” Zelenskiy said. “This is important.”

The president did not provide specifics. An army can vary in size but generally consists of several hundred soldiers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in response to a question during his annual marathon phone call last month that Russia would evict Ukrainian forces from Kursk but declined to put a date on when this would happen.

Russia’s Defense Ministry made no mention of Kursk in its latest battlefield update on Sunday.

EXPECTATION CHEPI

Ukraine’s unexpected success in carving out a sliver of Russian territory and holding it since last August could provide a valuable diplomatic boost as both sides prepare for peace talks this year.

Both have been trying to improve their war positions before US President Donald Trump was sworn in on Jan. 20. Trump has repeatedly said he will end the war quickly, but has not said how.

By making some of its most effective units in the Kursk offensive, Ukraine, however, has weakened the defenses of its eastern regions where Russian forces have advanced since August at a pace of See you soon from 2022.

Ukraine’s military said on Saturday that the “hottest” area was near Pokrovsk, a key road and rail hub that Russia has been advancing on for months.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 61 of 103 drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack, the air force said. Russia said it destroyed five Ukrainian drones in Russian territory.