Russia confirms Ukraine launched new counteroffensive in Kursk
Russia declared Sunday that Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack in the western border region of Kursk over the weekend.
“At about 9:00 a.m. Moscow time (0600 UTC), in order to halt the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk direction, the enemy launched a counterattack,” the Russian defense ministry stated.
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Details of the assault remain scant, but pro-Kremlin military bloggers have acknowledged that Ukraine has applied significant pressure.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, have largely refrained from discussing the operation. The armed forces’ daily report mentioned ongoing fighting in the region without elaboration.
According to Moscow, Ukraine deployed two tanks, a dozen armored vehicles, and a demolition unit targeting Berdin, a village about 15 kilometers northeast of Sudzha.
Russian forces are reportedly continuing operations to neutralize Ukrainian formations in the area.
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Pro-Russian Telegram channels have corroborated the attacks, with some, like Rybar, suggesting that the “main events” of Ukraine’s offensive are still ahead.
Ukrainian officials have been tight-lipped about the operation. MP Oleksiy Goncharenko criticized premature disclosures, stating, “I can’t understand why it is necessary to officially report on the Kursk region. Maybe better to do it afterwards when the operation is over?”
Other politicians were less coy. Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, expressed satisfaction at the operation, declaring, “Russia is getting what it deserves.”
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, suggested that the assault had caught Russian forces off guard. “In the Kursk region, the Russians are very worried because they were attacked from several directions, and it was a surprise for them,” he said.
Ukraine made significant gains in Kursk shortly after its August incursion, capturing dozens of villages. However, progress has since stalled due to reinforcements from Moscow, including troops from North Korea.
According to a Ukrainian military source, Kyiv still controls 800 square kilometers of the Kursk region, although this is a reduction from earlier claims of nearly 1,400 square kilometers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized the strategic benefits of the Kursk operation, describing it as a tool to bolster Ukraine’s negotiating power.
Last year, he said the operation had improved Kyiv’s “exchange fund” for prisoner swaps and diverted tens of thousands of Russian troops from the eastern front.
Significant Russian losses were reported in recent days, including “up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian airborne troops,” according to the president.
Zelensky: “Trump and I will come to an agreement”
Zelensky said he remains hopeful that incoming US President Donald Trump will play a decisive role in ending the war.
In a three-hour interview with American podcaster Lex Fridman aired Sunday, Zelensky praised Trump’s strength and influence, calling him vital to brokering peace.
“Trump and I will come to an agreement and… offer strong security guarantees, together with Europe, and then we can talk to the Russians,” Zelensky reiterated.
He also highlighted Trump’s ability to rally European support, noting, “When I talk about something with Donald Trump… all the European leaders always ask, ‘How was it?’ This shows the influence of Donald Trump.”
“I said [to Trump] that this is one of the security guarantees: take $300 billion of frozen Russian assets, we will take them, take the money we need for our domestic production, and we will buy all weapons in the United States,” Zelensky said.
“We don’t need any gifts from the US. This will be good for your industry, for the United States. We will invest money there – Russian money, not Ukrainian money, not European money – Russian money. They have to pay for it. Is this one of the security guarantees? Yes, of course. Because this is a military guarantee.”
Trump’s dismissive statements about NATO and his refusal to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin have drawn scrutiny, but Zelensky said he believes the president-elect has the capability to pressure Moscow. “I think that President Trump not only has will, he has all these possibilities, and it’s not just talk,” he said.
Zelensky also weighed in on the future of NATO, warning of the catastrophic consequences if the US weakens its role. “If we do not have security guarantees, Putin will come again,” he said. “A US exit would be the end. That is, that’s the death of NATO.”
Two Ukrainian paratroopers capture 14 Russian soldiers
Two Ukrainian soldiers from the 79th Air Assault Brigade reportedly captured 14 Russian troops during a bold assault on their fortified position, according to a social media post by the brigade’s press service shared Saturday.
The assault began after days of systematic drone strikes that weakened the Russian position. Using “Kazhan” strike drones and FPV drones, Ukrainian forces targeted the dugout where Russian troops were entrenched, leaving them vulnerable to a direct attack.
Under cover of drone support, two soldiers from the 79th’s 8th Company, 2nd Battalion approached the dugout. Armed with grenades, they launched an assault that caught the Russian troops completely off guard, the post explained.
Initially, the Russian soldiers believed the attack was friendly fire and called out from the dugout for it to stop. Upon hearing Ukrainian voices, they realized their attackers were enemy forces. Quickly overwhelmed, 14 Russian soldiers surrendered.
Video the 79th Air Assault Brigade released shows one of the captured soldiers acknowledging their captors’ skill: “We were captured by two paratroopers.”
Another expressed reluctant admiration, stating, “The guys worked really well, did the job just right at the right time. They gave us a chance… to live.”
The battalion commander has nominated the two soldiers for state honors.
Elsewhere, Russia claimed to have downed numerous Ukrainian drones in recent days. Moscow accused Kyiv of launching a barrage of attacks that damaged civilian homes and triggered air alerts.
In response, four Russian airports briefly suspended operations Sunday for “safety reasons,” according to Rosaviatsia, Russia’s civil aviation authority.
The General Staff of Ukraine reported continued Russian heavy shelling in the eastern Donetsk region, wounding at least five civilians.
On Sunday, 148 combat engagements were reported along the front lines, with Russian assaults most intense in the Pokrovsk sector and the Kursk region.
Russian forces also launched 2,257 kamikaze drones and carried out almost 5,000 artillery strikes, of which 230 involved multiple rocket launchers, according to officials.
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