MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s defence ministry said Ukrainian troops attempted a counterattack on Thursday in Russia’s western Kursk region but were repelled by Russian forces.
The ministry said Ukrainian troops and armoured vehicles had launched several waves of attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka, but that they were beaten back and the settlements were under Russian control.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. But the fact that Ukrainian forces are still capable of launching significant attacks in Kursk region highlights the stiff challenge that Russia faces to dislodge them, six months after they burst across the border to seize a chunk of Russian territory last year.
Ukraine’s foothold in Kursk has shrunk significantly since the immediate aftermath of the Aug. 6 incursion but provides it with a useful bargaining chip in potential peace talks. Russia controls about a fifth of Ukraine as the war approaches its three-year anniversary on February 24.
(Reporting by Reuters; writing by Mark Trevelyan)
