Leader of the Center for Combating Disinformation of Ukraine Andrii Kovalenko announced on January 5 that Ukrainian soldiers attacked Russian forces in many directions in Kursk province, surprising Moscow. Pro-Russian Telegram channels also echoed this message, claiming that a new Ukrainian attack was underway, according to the site The Kyiv Independent.
Pro-Russian blogger Roman Alyokhin said Ukraine attacked with armored vehicles and mine-clearing vehicles toward the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye northeast of the town of Sudzha. Mr. Alyokhin said that the Ukrainian army also increased operations in other areas of Kursk.
If Russia increases pressure in Kursk, Ukrainian forces may have to retreat
The Russian Ministry of Defense said Russian soldiers repelled two Ukrainian attacks in Kursk on January 5. Ukraine currently controls part of Russian territory in Kursk after suddenly sending troops to the other side of the border in early August 2024.
“Kursk province, good news! Russia is receiving what it deserves,” Chief of Staff of the President of Ukraine Andrii Yermak wrote on Telegram. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army has not released any information about the campaign in Kursk.
Ukrainian forces in Sumy province bordering Russia’s Kursk province in August 2024
Acting Governor of Kursk province Alexander Khinshtein said on January 5 that Russian Deputy Minister of Defense Yunus-bek Yevkurov had come to Kursk but the purpose of the visit was unclear. Mr. Khinshtein urged people to follow official sources and warned those who had evacuated not to return to unsafe areas without permission.
In recent months, Ukraine has been in a weak position as Russia reportedly regained half of the territory lost at Kursk and deployed reinforcements. The controlled land in Kursk is expected to be Ukraine’s bargaining tool in future peace negotiations.
Ukrainian forces fire artillery toward Russian forces on the front line in Kharkiv province on January 3
The results of the new attack are unclear, but reports from Russian war bloggers suggest that the attack has at least temporarily put Russian forces on the defensive, according to Reuters. In a later update, blogger Yuri Podolyak said Russian units had regained control of the situation after initial “mistakes” and had surrounded Ukrainian forces north of a highway leading to the capital. Kursk of the province of the same name.
Speaking late on January 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian and North Korean forces suffered heavy losses in the fighting in Kursk province, losing up to a battalion. Russia and North Korea neither confirmed nor denied the information that Pyongyang soldiers participated in the war.
Russia’s ‘thousand cuts’ tactic puts great pressure on Ukraine
Russia shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29
On January 5, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet and destroyed many armored vehicles provided by the West, including Bradley fighting vehicles, according to RT.
European Union (EU) countries have provided many MiG-29 aircraft to Ukraine since Russia launched a special military campaign in February 2022.
Russian forces in Donetsk said they repelled 17 Ukrainian counterattacks, causing the loss of more than 410 soldiers, 2 Leopard tanks (made in Germany), an infantry fighting vehicle and 3 armored personnel carriers. Ukraine also lost a British-made L-119 105 mm cannon.
Ukraine has not commented on the above information.
Ukraine suffered a UAV attack
On January 5, the Ukrainian Air Force announced that Russia had launched 103 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack Ukrainian territory overnight. Ukrainian air defense forces shot down 61 of them and 42 were lost due to electronic warfare. There is no information on casualties and damage from the attack.
