Mon 06 January 2025:

Russia claimed on Monday that its forces had captured the city of Kurakhove, a key Ukrainian stronghold and supply hub in the Donetsk region.

The Russian Defense Ministry, in a statement, said the settlement was defended by some 15,000 Ukrainian troops.

“The liberation of Kurakhove deprived the Kyiv regime of the possibility to shell the civilian population of Donetsk with artillery systems. The establishment of control over Kurakhove significantly hampered the logistical and technical support of Ukraine’s armed forces grouping in the Donetsk direction,” the ministry said.

The ministry said the Russian army will accelerate its advancement in the east of Ukraine after the fall of Kurakhove.

Ukraine has not yet commented on the claim, and independent verification remains challenging amid the ongoing conflict..

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Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk

The Ukrainian military has launched a new offensive in the Kursk region of Russia as Moscow’s forces continue to push deep inside eastern Ukraine.

The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement on Sunday that Ukrainian forces launched new attacks amid their incursion into Russia that began with a surprise assault in August.

Andriy Kovalenko, a senior official with Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, appeared to confirm the operation in a Telegram post.

“In the Kursk region the Russians are deeply concerned. They were attacked on multiple fronts, which came as a surprise to them,” he said.

Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, suggested the attack had been successful.

“Kursk region, good news, Russia is getting what it deserves,” he wrote on Sunday.

The Russian Defence Ministry said a Ukrainian counterattack began on Sunday morning which included two tanks, a barrier vehicle, and 12 armoured combat vehicles with soldiers who were heading to the Russian settlement of Berdin.

Most of them were destroyed, according to the ministry, which also released aerial footage of what it said was an explosives-laden drone taking out a self-propelled artillery unit of the Ukrainian armed forces in Kursk.

The ministry said its soldiers killed 340 members of the Ukrainian armed forces over the past day.

The Russian military claims that Ukraine has lost more than 49,000 servicemen in Kursk since the start of its offensive in August, along with 273 tanks, 44 rocket launch systems, and hundreds of other vehicles and munitions.

Ukraine claims Russia lost 430,000 soldiers in 2024, and that North Korean soldiers brought to Kursk have recently taken heavy casualties on the front lines of the Russian territory.

Russian forces have been gradually pushing back Ukrainian soldiers out of seized areas in Kursk, but they have not been able to fully repel the offensive.

Zelenskyy has said territory held in Kursk could play a considerable role in future “peace” talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he is ready for talks but also remains prepared to carry on with the war for much longer.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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