Ukraine has launched an attack on Russia’s Kursk, warning that Moscow is “getting what it deserves”. CNN report.
Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Ukrainian Center for Counting Disinformation, an official body, announced that Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack against Russian forces in various locations in Kursk, months after their attack in the region.
In a short letter shared on Telegram, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak said, “Kursk region, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves.” Ukrainian troops first entered Kursk in August and have held much of the territory they have taken, despite efforts by Russian and recently deployed North Korean troops to push Ukrainian troops back from the border.
In a statement shared on Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Ukrainians carried out the attack to stop the Russian invasion, CNN reported, citing TASS news agency. It said both were repelled and added that a Ukrainian attack consisting of two tanks and 12 armored vehicles was defeated near the town of Berdin, which is 15 kilometers from the border.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air power was used against Ukrainian forces in several areas. Later, a blog associated with Russia’s Northern Group of Forces said that its units were moving forward, CNN report. It also said that “there are battles in the Sudzha region, the enemy is working in groups of armored vehicles, our planes and weapons are working, small battles are going on.”
The attack on Kursk when it was launched surprised the allies of Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian troops are advancing rapidly, and although, Russia has finally started to push back its forces, the line of control has not changed much in the past few months.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the Russian military had lost North Korean troops and Russian paratroopers in battles near the village of Makhnovka. An army usually consists of several hundred soldiers.
Unofficial Russian military blogs, which often provide reliable information on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, said there was a battle on Sunday. Another said that Ukrainian forces were pushing north towards Berdin, CNN report.
Another blog on Sunday said, “The enemy has dropped bunkers in the Kursk area.” The blog said, “In order to make progress, the AFU has covered this area with powerful radio-electronic warfare systems, which hinder the work of our UAVs (drones).” It said, “There are small arms battles, our artillery and tanks are working hard against the enemy.” A second blog said the attack began in the Sudzha area, according to CNN report.
However, Ukrainian paratroopers had also arrived and there were heavy fighting in some areas. According to Ukrainian and Western assessments, about 11,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces occupied a large area after entering the border.
Talking to CNNa Ukrainian official said that Russia began bombing the city of Sudzha, which was captured by the Ukrainians in August last year.
Talking to CNNColonel Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, the press officer of the military command office in the Kursk region, said that there were a lot of drones in the area and explosions were happening, the missiles landed directly in the city. He said, “The enemy is destroying the city floor by floor, block by block, trying to clear the city before a major attack.”
He said people entered the boarding school wanting to get out.
However, Russia did not approve of their departure. Dmytrashkivskyi said, “Currently there are about 2,000 people there. About 39 people have been killed by airstrikes and weapons, and more than 100 injured.”
Meanwhile, Russian troops reported advancing near the town of Kurakhove in eastern Ukraine.
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