On Monday the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed it has stopped a Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk Region of Russia. While no one seems to be kidding themselves that the incursion will, say, take Moscow, according to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the new operation can still be used for negotiation power.
“According to the ministry, the Ukrainian advance focused on the town of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, and Russian forces have destroyed Kiev’s main strike group with the support of the Air Force and artillery,” RT said Monday. “In the past 24 hours, the Ukrainian military has lost a total 485 troops, ten tanks, seven infantry fighting vehicles, five armored personnel carriers, an artillery gun, an electronic warfare system and multiple other vehicles in Kursk Region, the statement reads.”
Blinken seems to believe this allegedly failed military operation may strengthen bargaining power for a likely failed Ukraine.
“Their position in Kursk is an important one because certainly it’s something that would factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year,” Blinken told reporters Monday.
In August 2024 Ukraine invaded the Kursk Region, although the amount of area it has occupied there has dwindled as autumn progressed. The purpose was reportedly to divert Russian forces from the front lines.
“According to Ukrainian military sources, Kyiv currently controls around 800 square kilometers (308 square miles) of the Kursk region, down from previous claims of nearly 1,400 square kilometers (540 square miles),” Kiev Post said Monday.
❗️Today is exactly 5 months since the start of the Kursk operation. Enemy losses in this direction have already reached 38 thousand soldiers, – Zelensky.
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) January 6, 2025
"The Russian Federation has transferred strong units to the Kursk direction. It is important that they cannot direct all this… pic.twitter.com/1K6I9enqGB
According to RT however, “Russia’s offensive in Donbass has continued unabated,” despite the August invasion of Kursk.
After running out of ammunition in Kursk the Ukrainian soldiers took to running Russian soldiers over with their armored vehicles.
Ukrainian Stryker APC of the 80th Air Assault Brigade, out of ammunition, crushes Russian Infantry in Kursk Region. pic.twitter.com/anuVnJIC53
— Ukraine – Combat Footage Archive 🇬🇪 🇺🇦 (@Bodbe6) January 6, 2025
During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s end of the year press conference the head of state said that he was confident Ukrainian troops will be driven out of Kursk.
The timing of the latest Ukrainian military operation is notable, as U.S. lame-duck President Joe Biden just sent $2.5 billion to Ukraine with $1.22 billion of that being for a military ‘drawdown’.