Ukrainian media report that Russian troops are repelling an offensive by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in Russia’s Kursk region. (Updated on 7 January at 01:25 p.m.)
Deep State, an open interactive online map of hostilities between the Russian and Ukrainian armies during the war in Ukraine, updated the first progress of the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk Region. According to the source, the front line shifted to Berdin.
The AFU attempted to break through in the area, losing more than 70 pieces of equipment, according to Ukrainian media. However, unlike the surprise incursion in August last year, early announcements of possible attacks could have disrupted the success of the AFU’s combat operations, military experts stressed.
Russian media share footage of destroying Ukrainian equipment in the Kursk region. The first video shows the military disabling a tank.
The second video features a drone striking a Ukrainian self-propelled howitzer Bohdana.
Russian forces also shelled an armoured unit deployed in the Kursk region.
Meanwhile, Russian paratroopers recaptured Leonidovo, 15 kilometres from Sudzha, presumably intending to move towards the village of Malaya Loknya. Assault troops also entered the village of Makhnovka, advancing towards Kurilovka. Military experts suggested that fierce fighting for neighbouring territories would soon begin.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Monday that the Ukrainian position in the Kursk region could be pivotal in future negotiations. He said the outgoing administration of President Joe Biden wanted to ensure that “Ukraine has the strongest possible hand to play.”
Their [AFU’s] position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it’s something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year.
Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had fully captured Kurakhove, a key city for Ukrainian defence in the south of the Donetsk region. The AFU defence in Toretsk also began to shrink in recent days.
Earlier, US President-elect Donald Trump’s new military officer in Ukraine, Retired Lieutenant-General Keith Kellogg, postponed a visit to Kyiv and other European capitals until after Trump’s inauguration on 20 January, according to Reuters.
The Ukrainian military was supposedly keen to demonstrate military successes on the battlefield ahead of Trump’s presidency. However, Ukrainian military losses instead of showcasing seizures in Russia’s Kursk region resulted in an obscene speech by President Volodymyr Zelensky, analysts emphasised.
