Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine had launched a “counterattack” in the western border region of Kursk, where Kyiv’s forces began a shock ground offensive last August.

It was not immediately clear how much Ukraine had advanced in the region, but pro-Kremlin military bloggers reported earlier that a powerful new offensive was underway.

“At about 9am Moscow time, in order to halt the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk direction, the enemy launched a counterattack,” the Russian defence ministry said.

Ukraine used two tanks, a dozen armoured vehicles and a demolition unit in the new assault, which was headed towards the village of Berdin — about 15 kilometres northeast of Sudzha, the ministry said.

“The operation to destroy the Ukrainian army formations continues.” Sudzha was captured by Kyiv’s forces shortly after they launched their offensive in August 2024, and they have held on to it since.

Ukrainian officials offered limited information about the offensive. “Russia is getting what it deserves,” Ukrainian presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak said.

The head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, said on Telegram that “defence forces are working” in the area. “In the Kursk region, the Russians are very worried because they were attacked from several directions, and it was a surprise for them,” he said.

Pro-Kremlin military bloggers admitted the Russian army was under pressure in the Kursk region.

“The main events of the next attempted offensive by the Ukrainian army are clearly still ahead of us,” influential pro-Russian blogger Rybar said.

North Korean troops

Kyiv seized dozens of villages in the Kursk region shortly after its incursion started on August 6, 2024, but its advances stalled after Moscow rushed reinforcements to the area, including thousands of troops from its ally Pyongyang.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday evening that “up to a battalion of North Korean infantry soldiers and Russian airborne troops” had been lost in battles in the Kursk region on that day and the day before.

Kyiv’s apparent new offensive comes at a critical moment in the nearly three-year conflict, with US President-elect Donald Trump — who has promised a quick ceasefire — gearing up to take office on January 20.

Incumbent President Joe Biden’s administration has unveiled almost $6 billion in military and budget aid for Ukraine ahead of the Republican’s inauguration.

Both Russia and Ukraine have exchanged regular attacks since the year began. Russia said on Sunday it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones overnight in a barrage that damaged homes and triggered air alerts, while Kyiv said Moscow fired 103 drones into its territory.

Four Russian airports briefly suspended traffic early on Sunday for “safety” reasons, forcing at least eight planes to divert course, a spokesperson for Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.