“Currently, the Ukrainian military has not publicly commented on reports about the situation in Kurshchyna”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
The statement of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dated January 5 states that “around 9 o’clock in the morning Moscow time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counterattack to stop the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk direction.” The message emphasizes that “Russian troops continue to inflict defeats on Ukrainian forces.”
At the same time, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, announced “good news” from the Kursk region” and that Russia “receives what it deserves.”
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as of 4 p.m., the most combat clashes are taking place in the Kursk region – 42 battles, of which 12 are still ongoing.
A total of 114 combat clashes have been recorded since the beginning of the day, the Ukrainian military said.
The head of the Center for countering disinformation of the NSDC Andriy Kovalenko previously also commented on the development of events and noted that “Russian troops in Kursk were attacked from several directions, which was a surprise for them.”
“The defense forces are working,” he wrote.
The day before, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that Russia lost up to a battalion of North Korean soldiers in the area of the village of Makhnovka in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation.
As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi stated on January 1, the total losses of the Russian army in Kurshchyna totaled more than 38,000 personnel and more than a thousand pieces of equipment.
The armed forces of Ukraine began an operation in the Kursk region on August 6, occupying more than 1,000 square kilometers. Then the Russian army, with the help of North Korean troops, was able to recapture part of the territory.
In November, the Reuters agency, citing a high-ranking Ukrainian military source who works in the General Staff of Ukraine, reported that due to Russian counterattacks, Ukraine had lost more than 40% of the territory in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, which it captured during hostilities in August. According to the source, Russia has deployed about 59,000 troops in the Kursk region.