Russian troops have carried out a double airstrike on a nursing home in the Ukrainian-occupied Russian town of Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, said on Jan. 12.
According to Dmytrashkivskyi, the attack, which took place on the evening of Jan. 11, left one woman with severe arm injuries, who died later in the morning of Jan. 12.
The attack also dealt heavy damage to the nursing home, with all windows and doors blown out, Dmytrashkivskyi added, speaking on national television.
According to him, around 2,000 Russian civilians remain in areas under Ukrainian control. Over 70 people are currently staying in the nursing home that came under attack.
"The question now is where to relocate these people. Most are elderly, and many suffer from disabilities, Parkinson's disease, post-stroke conditions, and one individual has a mental illness. The current state of these people is quite severe," the spokesperson said.
In a comment to the Kyiv Independent, Dmytrashkivskyi confirmed that the facility damaged was the same nursing home visited by media, including the Kyiv Independent, on press tours of Sudzha organized by the Ukrainian military.
The news comes days after Ukraine reportedly launched renewed offensive operations in Kursk Oblast, which is seen as a crucial bargaining chip for potential peace negotiations.
Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale operation in Kursk Oblast in early August, allegedly capturing up to 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian soil. Since then, Russia has deployed reinforcements — including North Korean soldiers — in the area and reportedly retook around half of the lost territory.
Earlier on Jan. 11, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian troops captured two North Korean soldiers as prisoners of war (POWs) in Kursk Oblast.
"This task was not easy," he said in a Telegram post.
"Usually, Russia and other North Korean military personnel finish off their wounded and do everything possible to ensure that no evidence of the participation of another state — North Korea — in the war against Ukraine is preserved."
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
