Ukrainian troops launched attacks on Russian forces from multiple directions in Kursk Oblast on Sunday, according to Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s counter-disinformation center. Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak also confirmed the attack, describing it as a success.
Video footage showed Ukrainian armored columns advancing across snowy fields toward the village of Bolshoe Soldatskoe, located northeast of the Ukrainian-controlled Russian town of Sudzha. The footage also captured vehicles moving through deserted rural settlements.
Grainy images from Russian channels of Ukrainian armor. They claim the armor is being used in a “carousel” to drop off infantry. 6/https://t.co/z15oeeDpN3https://t.co/PgiSuXkA4Lhttps://t.co/DunMRbJf9Thttps://t.co/P04aQgBIn4https://t.co/VTTS5iOEmjhttps://t.co/gTVBcdFZMY… pic.twitter.com/jugfcRDwj6
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) January 5, 2025
Ukrainian forces have also entered Russian villages like Berdin and Novosotnitskii, according to reports, though these claims remain unverified.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it repelled two Ukrainian offensives in Kursk Oblast and reported heavy fighting near Tetkino, west of Sudzha. Pro-Russian bloggers acknowledged the intensity of the attacks and highlighted Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied equipment.
Acting Kursk Oblast Governor Alexander Khinshtein noted that Russia’s Deputy Defense Minister visited the region amid the ongoing clashes.
Ukraine’s latest operation follows its earlier offensive in Kursk in August 2024, when it made initial gains but later lost territory to Russian counterattacks.
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi claimed the operation has caused significant Russian losses, including 38,000 personnel and over 1,000 vehicles since August.
