Ukraine Dismisses Reports of Orders to Secure Kursk Until Trump Takes Office

Updated at 8:55. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, dismissed claims that the Ukrainian military was ordered to hold territory in Russia's Kursk region until Donald Trump’s potential inauguration.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine did not receive any orders to hold the Kursk region until Trump’s inauguration for future 'exchange,'” Kovalenko said.

He labeled the circulating reports in the media as false, emphasizing that Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region are conducting combat missions that align with the broader strategic goals of the front line.

“These missions influence the situation on several other fronts, including the positioning of Russian forces,” he stated, adding that such orders "cannot be issued in the army in principle."

Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk region have been instructed to hold their positions until Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025, according to a BBC report citing Ukrainian soldiers contacted via Telegram.

“Our main task is to hold as much territory as possible until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations,” Ukrainian soldier Pavlo told BBC. “This could be exchanged for something later, but no one knows exactly what.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to remove Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region by January to demonstrate control.

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“I’m sure Putin wants us out by January 20,” Pavlo said. “He wants to show he’s in control, but he isn’t.”

Ukrainian soldiers also denied seeing North Korean troops allegedly sent to assist Russian forces.

Ukraine and South Korea both claimed in mid-October that Pyongyang had deployed troops to aid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, likely because of a mutual defense pact signed in June.

In early October, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence (HUR) claimed that Pyongyang had deployed troops to reinforce Moscow’s troops in Ukraine. In addition, media reports, citing HUR, claimed that six North Korean officers had been killed in a missile strike.

Following the reports, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) issued satellite images alleging North Korean troops in Russia’s Far East before their deployments in Ukraine.

In November, Kyiv said it had engaged North Korean troops for the first time in Kursk.

“I haven’t seen or heard anything about Koreans, alive or dead,” Vadym said.

The Ukrainian military operation in Kursk began in August 2024 and has drawn Russian troops away from other key fronts, including Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv.

However, some Ukrainian soldiers believe they could be more effective in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces continue to advance.

According to a Reuters report, citing a senior Ukrainian military source, Ukraine initially controlled 1,376 sq. km (531 sq. miles) of the Kursk region but had lost 40% of that territory by late November, remaining around 800 sq. km (308 sq. miles) as of Nov. 23.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who is about to enter the White House next month, campaigned on a platform of ushering a swift end to the Ukraine war, boasting that he would quickly mediate a ceasefire deal between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin. 

But his critics have warned that the incoming Republican will likely leverage US military aid to pressure Kyiv into an agreement that left it ceding occupied territory permanently or agreeing not to join NATO.