Ukraine has resumed its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, where it launched an incursion last August. The latest offensive appears to have targeted the village of Berdin about 15 kilometers northeast of the town of Sudzha, which Kyiv captured in August 2024. Pro-Kremlin military bloggers reported that Ukraine had launched a powerful new offensive in the region, but the extent of their advances was unclear. According to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, Ukraine’s forces launched assaults in multiple directions within the Kursk region.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukraine intensified its offensive in Kursk and that up to 340 Ukrainian military personnel had been killed. Russian forces claimed to have destroyed a significant amount of Ukrainian equipment, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers. Russian sources expressed concern about the Russian military’s ability to counter Ukraine’s ongoing combined arms efforts. Pro-Kremlin military bloggers acknowledged that the Russian army was under pressure but insisted that Moscow was fighting back and holding the line against Ukrainian forces.
Thousands have been evacuated from Kursk since the incursion began in August, and many remain displaced or stranded in areas controlled by Kyiv. Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein urged residents to avoid returning to settlements in the “gray zone” as it remained unsafe. Before the renewed offensive, Kyiv had seized dozens of villages in the Kursk region, marking the first time since World War II that foreign troops had occupied Russian territory. The town of Sudzha, a key natural gas transit point, remained under Ukrainian control, but the extent of their territory had decreased by November.
The assault in Kursk comes at a critical time in the ongoing conflict, with both Ukraine and Russia seeking to strengthen their negotiating positions ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has indicated that the Kursk operation boosted Kyiv’s negotiating position on prisoner swaps and diverted Russian troops from the eastern front. The goals and scope of Ukraine’s new offensive remain unclear, with speculation that it could be a diversionary effort or part of a future main effort. The ISW reported that Russian military bloggers had expressed concerns about the renewed Ukrainian efforts in Kursk.
The Moscow Times, facing challenges and labeled as an “undesirable” organization by Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, continues to provide independent journalism in the face of repression. The support of readers is crucial to ensuring the publication’s continued work. The situation in Kursk remains tense, with conflicting reports from military analysts and bloggers about the progress of Ukraine’s offensive in the region. The conflict in Ukraine continues to evolve, with both sides vying for control of strategic territory and seeking to gain an advantage in negotiations for peace.
