The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its troops had dealt heavy blows to Ukrainian units in the western part of the Kursk region, where the Ukrainian military reported an escalation of fighting in the previous 24 hours, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Ukraine, which seized part of the Kursk region in early August and has held it for five months, launched a new offensive there on Sunday, but did not provide details about the operation or what its goals are, the agency noted. Ukraine's general staff reported 94 clashes in the Kursk region in the past 24 hours, up from 47 the previous day.
The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said that geolocation footage released on Sunday and Monday showed Ukrainian advances in three areas northeast of the city of Sudzha in recent days. The institute said Russian forces were trying to attack elsewhere in the region. Russian military bloggers reported fighting in Malaya Loknya, northwest of Sudzha.
A statement from the Russian Defense Ministry listed six locations where it said its forces had routed Ukrainian brigades, and seven more - including one on the Ukrainian side of the border - where it said Ukrainian troops and equipment had been hit.
Reuters said it could not independently verify the reports of the two sides in the conflict about the situation on the battlefield. Seizing and retaining control of a portion of Russian territory in the Kursk region gives Ukraine a better chance in potential peace talks as both sides struggle to improve their positions on the battlefield before Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20, Reuters notes.