Parts of Kursk occupied

Ukrainian troops have launched a new offensive

Ukrainian troops have launched an offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk for the second time since January.(Bild: AP/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Ukrainian troops have launched an offensive in the Kursk border region for the second time this year. Armored vehicles and around 400 troops are being deployed. Parts of the Russian region have already been occupied for six months.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed several waves of attacks on two villages. However, the attack was repelled. "The villages are under Russian control". Ukrainian troops have been defending their bridgehead on enemy territory in the Russian region of Kursk for six months. "Russia will not drive us out of Kursk in the near future," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. The counter-offensive with 60,000 soldiers is stuck.

According to military experts, the Ukrainian troops conquered more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, but counterattacks reduced this area by half again.

Russian soldiers with a drone(Bild: AP/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)

Kursk (archive photo)(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

Residents of Kursk(Bild: APA/AFP/Andrey BORODULIN)

Selenskyj: Important for negotiations
The surprising advance cannot be overestimated, said Selenskyj. The occupation is a bargaining chip for possible peace negotiations. Russia's ruler Vladimir Putin wants to avoid his own territory becoming the subject of negotiations as far as possible.

According to the Ukrainian army, 909 Russian soldiers have been taken prisoner of war since the start of the offensive in Kursk. In this way, "hundreds of Ukrainian defenders who were held in Russian prisons could be brought home" through prisoner exchanges, the army announced on Thursday.

Less fighting in the east
According to Selenskyj, Russian troops are currently making less progress on the front in eastern Ukraine. The "rocket terror" is continuing, but the ground troops are weakening. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 80 battles were reported, whereas in December the Ukrainian General Staff had reported up to 292 attacks per day.