Moscow announced on Thursday that Ukraine’s army had initiated a new offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised Kyiv troops for their engagement on Russian territory, marking a significant development in the ongoing conflict.
This Thursday also marked six months since Ukraine launched an unexpected ground assault across the Russian border, capturing numerous Russian border settlements and large areas of territory. Following this offensive, Russia has been working to regain control, but Ukraine views its retention of parts of the region as a vital bargaining chip for potential future peace discussions.
Russia’s defense ministry reported on Thursday that its troops successfully thwarted an attempted counter-offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces. The new clashes occurred near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka, located southeast of the regional hub of Sudzha, which is currently under Ukrainian control. This region is approximately 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Ukrainian border.
According to Russian officials, Ukraine had deployed two mechanized battalions, equipped with tanks and armored vehicles, in the attempted attack. As of now, there has been no response from Ukrainian officials regarding the fresh offensive. However, President Zelensky commended his troops operating in the Kursk region and awarded several units with state honors, emphasizing that “the occupier can and should be beaten on its territory.”
Zelensky reiterated the principle of “peace through strength” as a guiding message for securing ongoing military support from Ukraine’s Western partners.
In related developments, the Ukrainian military announced that it had captured 909 Russian soldiers during the six-month offensive. Zelensky noted that this has greatly enhanced Ukraine’s “exchange fund,” facilitating the return of hundreds of Ukrainians held in captivity, following a recent exchange where both sides released 150 soldiers.
Russian authorities are contending with rising discontent among Kursk locals, who have family members stranded on the opposing side of the front line. During a meeting with the region’s governor on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged the challenging situation in Kursk.
Ukraine’s incursion marks the first instance of a foreign army trespassing onto Russian territory since World War II, representing a significant embarrassment for the Kremlin, which has been engaged in a full-scale offensive for nearly three years. Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military forces in Kursk, informed AFP that “a little more than 1,500 people” are still residing in the portions of the region currently under Ukrainian control. Kyiv asserts that the territory it occupies in Kursk will be crucial for future negotiations with Russia, especially as Russian forces continue to gain ground along the front lines in eastern Ukraine.
