INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
incursion there last August.It was not immediately clear how much Ukraine had advanced in the region, but pro-Kremlin military bloggers
are saying:What is happening in Kursk?Russia said Sunday that Ukraine had intensified its offensive in Kursk, adding that Kyiv used a dozen
armored vehicles and a demolition unit in the assault.On Monday, Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops "continue to defeat Ukrainian
army units on the territory of the Kursk region" and had prevented an attempted "breakthrough" near the village of Berdin about 15
kilometers northeast of the town of Sudzha, which Kyiv captured in August 2024.The Ukrainian army has not commented on the operation, simply
saying in its daily report that fighting was underway in the Kursk region without elaborating.The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War
Sudzha), in the direction of Leonidovo and near Pushkarnoye (east of Sudzha).The Russian Defense Ministry said late Sunday that up to 340
Ukrainian military personnel had been killed in the past 24 hours.Russian forces claimed to have destroyed a substantial amount of Ukrainian
equipment, including four tanks, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armored personnel carriers, 12 combat armored vehicles, one
mine-clearing vehicle, 20 vehicles and five mortars.The ISW also said that Russian forces had advanced southeast of Sudzha and
about the Russian military's ability to react to Ukraine's ongoing combined arms efforts to integrate electronic warfare and long-range
Moscow was fighting back.Rybar, an influential pro-Russian military blog on Telegram, said late Sunday that "despite all the attacks, the
Ukrainian Armed Forces were unable to make significant progress.""Nothing happened overnight, the enemy is moving around in Sudzha, pulling
We think there will be a second attempt soon
"Active assaults have been recorded along the forest belts, where the Russian Armed Forces are actively using aviation, artillery and UAVs
Despite heavy losses, the enemy shows no intention of retreating and is bringing in new reserves, indicating their resilience and desire to
"However, our forces are showing resilience and returning fire, seriously countering the enemy's attempts to test the front."Since the
incursion, thousands have been evacuated from Kursk and are still displaced, while many others remain stranded in areas controlled by
Kyiv.Acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein on Sunday urged residents to avoid returning to settlements in the so-called "gray
zone" as it remained unsafe.Where did things stand before the renewed offensive?Kyiv seized dozens of villages in the Kursk region shortly
after its incursion started on Aug
6, 2024, marking the first time since World War II that foreign troops have occupied Russian territory.Its advances stalled after Moscow
November, Ukraine controlled 800 square kilometers of the Russian border region, down from previous claims it controlled almost 1,400 square
kilometers, according to a Ukrainian army source to AFP.Why now?The assault comes at a critical juncture in the nearly three-year war, with
both sides seeking to strengthen their negotiating hand ahead of U.S
President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House on Jan
Ukraine's apparent new offensive remain unclear."There have been rumors for a while that a AFU [Ukrainian] operation was likely
So folks should not be surprised by the news that a new AFU offensive appears to be underway in Kursk
International Peace, wrote on X.The ISW said Russian military bloggers expressed concern "that the renewed Ukrainian effort in the Kursk
region may be a diversionary effort and claimed that it is too early to determine whether these operations in Kursk could be part of a
future main effort."AFP contributed reporting.A Message from The Moscow Times:Dear readers,We are facing unprecedented challenges
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