Ukraine claimed on Tuesday that its forces had conducted a “high-precision” strike on a Russian military command post in the Kursk region during “combat operations”. However, Kyiv later backtracked and said it had launched fresh offensive operations in the area.  

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The Ukrainian General Staff in a statement on Telegram initially announced “new offensive operations,” but later edited the post, removing references to a “new offensive”. Instead, the revised statement framed the strike as part of ongoing “combat operations” by Ukrainian Defence Forces within the Kursk region.

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“This strike is an integral part of the combat operations of units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces, which conduct combat operations,” said the updated statement.

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Ukraine's alleged new offensive in Kursk

Pro-Kremlin military sources have suggested that Ukraine is mounting a powerful new offensive in Kursk, where Kyiv has maintained control of some areas since a surprise incursion in August 2024. Kyiv has not confirmed these claims, though President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday (Jan 6) hinted at operations in the region during his Monday evening address. 

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He said that they were “maintaining a buffer zone on Russian territory” and “actively destroying Russian military potential there”.

While it remains unclear whether Ukrainian forces have made significant advances, the situation in Kursk could “factor in any negotiation that may come about in the coming year” under incoming US President-elect Donald Trump, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday.

Trump, who takes office later this month, has pledged to initiate negotiations to end the nearly three-year war. 

Who controls Kurakhove? Conflicting claims emerge

Meanwhile, in eastern Ukraine, the battle for Kurakhove continues. Russia claimed on Monday that it had captured the strategic town, an “important logistics hub” in the Donetsk region, which Moscow has sought to fully annex since 2022.

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Ukrainian forces, however, disputed the claim and, in a statement on Tuesday, asserted that fighting was still ongoing.

Victor Tregubov, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia military unit, said: “Ukrainian troops are holding on in the western part of the town, on the western outskirts of the town.”

He also accused Russian forces of employing scorched-earth tactics and said that a “large part of the town has been destroyed”.

Also read | Ukraine launches counterattack in Russia's Kursk region, says Russian Defence Ministry

“They are actually trying to dismantle the town brick by brick,” Tregubov said on national television. He added that Ukrainian troops were “inflicting losses on them (Russian troops) so that they do not advance further”.

Kurakhove, once home to 18,000 people, holds strategic importance due to its power station and lithium deposits.

(With inputs from agencies)