KIEV (dpa-AFX) – After a surprise counterattack by Ukrainian units in the Russian Kursk region, the opposing sides fought heavy fighting until late in the evening. In its evening situation report, the General Staff in Kiev reported a total of 42 individual armed clashes in the western Russian region. “Twelve battles are still ongoing at the moment,” it said.
“The Russians in the Kursk region are very worried because they were attacked from several directions and this came as a surprise to them,” said the General Staff in Kiev, commenting on the latest developments. In the evening, Russian media only reported that drone attacks near Kursk had been repelled. Neither side provided any information about losses, successes or changes in the frontline situation.
Last summer, Ukrainian units unexpectedly advanced across the border towards the western Russian city of Kursk and achieved major gains in territory in the process. Russia later brought together around 50,000 soldiers, including around 10,000 fighters from North Korea, for a counteroffensive. By the time the Ukrainians launched a new counterattack, the Russian military had recaptured almost half of the occupied territory in months of heavy fighting./cha/DP/he