fired by the Ukrainian military Counterattack in the Kursk western border areawarned that Russia was “getting what it deserves.”
Although it was not immediately clear how far Ukraine had advanced in the region, the offensive reached a critical juncture in almost the next stage. 3 years of conflict Both sides are trying to increase their negotiating power ahead of the next U.S. president. Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20th.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that he would renew his call on allies to strengthen their country’s air defenses at the Ramstein Group meeting in Germany this week.
He said the meeting will include dozens of partner countries, “including those that can contribute to improving defense capabilities not only against missiles, but also against guided bombs and Russian aviation.”
“We will continue to discuss this matter with them and persuade them,” President Zelenskiy said in a speech Saturday night. “The mission remains the same: strengthening air defense.”
Oksana Johannesson/AP
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin will also attend the meeting, which was originally scheduled to be held in October and President Biden was also scheduled to attend. Postponed due to Hurricane Milton hitting the US
The Biden administration has been pressing Ukraine in recent weeks since taking office to send as much military aid as possible.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used two tanks, 12 armored vehicles and one demolition squad in Sunday’s attack, which was heading toward the village of Berdin, about nine miles northeast of Suzha.
“The operation to destroy Ukrainian military formations continues,” the spokesperson said.
Pro-Kremlin military bloggers acknowledged that the Russian military was under pressure, but said the Russian side was fighting back.
“The main events of the next offensive attempt by the Ukrainian military are clearly still ahead of us,” said the influential pro-Russian telegraph station Leiber.
Ukrainian authorities have provided few details about the new attack, and prominent lawmakers have called for silence.
“I don’t understand why there is a need to officially report on the Kursk region. Wouldn’t it be better to report only after the operation is over?” said Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksiy Goncharenko.
Other officials expressed joy at the counteroffensive, the first in nearly three years since the Russian government launched a full-scale military offensive against Ukraine.
“Russia is getting what it deserves,” said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Combating Disinformation, said on Telegram that the Armed Forces were “active” in the area, but did not elaborate.
“In the Kursk region, the Russians were very worried because they were attacked from different directions, and this was a surprise for them,” he said.
Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Kiev captured dozens of villages in the Kursk region shortly after launching its invasion on August 6, 2024, but only as Russia rushed reinforcements into the region, including thousands of troops from its ally North Korea. , the advance stalled.
Ukrainian military officials told AFP in November that Kiev still controlled about 300 square miles of Russia’s border area.
But Kiev has so far been unable to stop Russia’s expansion into Ukraine, which is expected to grow seven times faster than the previous year in 2024, according to an AFP analysis of Institute for War Studies data. was.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged regular attacks since the beginning of the year.
Russia said Sunday it shot down dozens of Ukrainian-made drones in a barrage of fire overnight, damaging homes and triggering an air alert, but Kiev said Russia had 103 unmanned drones on its territory. It was announced that the aircraft had been launched.
Four Russian airports temporarily suspended traffic early Sunday for “safety” reasons, and at least eight planes were forced to divert, a spokeswoman for Russia’s civil aviation authority Rosaviasia said. .
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