Ukrainian troops have advanced three miles behind Russian lines, according to reports (Image: Getty)
A new wave of battalion assaults on Russia’s Kursk region has given Kyiv fighters a three-mile gain behind enemy lines, according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
launched a counteroffensive on the Kursk border at the start of the year, sending armoured vehicles and hundreds of soldiers into the territory southeast of ’s Sudzha district.
Geolocated footage released on Thursday appears to show Ukrainian troops advancing across the snowy region to the southeast of Sudzha, near the villages of Makhnovka and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
They are believed to have seized the settlements of Kolmakov and Fanaseyevka, the closest hamlets to Sudzha, with Russian bloggers estimating that the attack was launched by 30 to 50 armoured vehicles.
Kyiv launched an in August 2024, claiming around 500 square miles of Russian territory – of which Moscow is thought to have recovered just over 50%.
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Kyiv troops are nearing Russia’s Sudzha district (Image: Getty)
’s Military of Defence said had attacked the region with two battalions of armoured vehicles, and had been “thwarted” by Moscow forces.
“As of 2100 [6pm], units of the North group of forces have thwarted an attempted counter-attack by the Ukrainian armed forces aimed at the settlements of Cherkasskaya Konopelka and Ulanok,” a spokesperson said on Telegram.
The “War Correspondents of the Russian Spring” Telegram channel also posted that Ukrainian forces had suffered heavy losses in an offensive on Thursday, but still managed to have a significant impact.
There have been disputes between the opposing forces about which settlements have been captured in recent days – with a Ukrainian officer casting doubt on ’s claim to have taken the mining town of Toretsk in the Donetsk region on Friday.
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Yevhen Alkhimov, the press officer of the 28th Brigade, told The Associated Press by phone that his unit had not been moved from its position, which he said likely would have happened if Toretsk had fallen.
Nearly three years after the conflict in eastern Europe began, it appears to be at a crossroads – with ’s pledge to end it within six months of taking office continuing to hang over the region.
Despite the three-mile incursion into Russian territory, Ukrainian forces are reported to be suffering manpower shortages, while continues to make steady gains on the frontline.
Marking six months since ’s cross-border offensive this week, President said: “We have brought the war home to . That is where they must feel what war truly means. And they do.”