Russia Claims Gains in Eastern Ukraine, Battles Rage in Kursk

Russia announced on Monday that its forces had secured significant advancements in eastern Ukraine. This comes as fierce fighting continues for a second day in the Kursk region of western Russia, where Ukrainian forces have launched a new offensive.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the capture of Kurakhove, a town located 32 kilometers south of Pokrovsk. Pokrovsk serves as a crucial Ukrainian logistics hub, and Russian forces have been steadily advancing towards it for months.

The ministry stated that capturing Kurakhove, which had held out for several weeks, would allow Moscow's forces to accelerate their advance in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Additionally, they claimed to have captured Dachenske, a settlement situated within five miles of Pokrovsk.

DeepState, a Ukrainian monitoring group that tracks the front line using open sources, confirmed that most of Kurakhove is now under Russian control. Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces reported that Russian forces continued their assault on Kurakhove, but Ukrainian troops were actively identifying and repelling Russian assault groups in that sector of the front.

Both sides are engaged in intense efforts to improve their battlefield positions before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump on January 20th. Trump has pledged to swiftly bring an end to the war, which has been ongoing for nearly three years.

Ukraine's primary accomplishment in the past five months of fighting has been the capture and retention of a portion of territory within Russia's Kursk region. This territory could potentially serve as a valuable bargaining chip in potential peace negotiations.

While Ukraine has not disclosed details of the new offensive launched in Kursk on Sunday, a senior Ukrainian official remarked that Russia is "getting what it deserves."

The Russian Ministry of Defense asserted that the attempted Ukrainian breakthrough had been thwarted and the main Ukrainian force had been destroyed near the settlement of Berdin, close to a road leading northeast towards the city of Kursk.

A senior Russian commander anticipated further attacks. "Of course, this is not the end," stated Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of a Chechen unit fighting for Russia in Kursk. "We are currently observing a concentration of enemy equipment in another direction, and naturally, we understand that he (Ukraine) will attempt to strike in this direction. Right now, I won't disclose the location.