Former Kursk Oblast Governor Alexei Smirnov and his deputy Alexei Dedov are accused of embezzling over a billion rubles ($12 million) from the budget allocated to the Kursk Oblast Development Corporation for the construction of fortifications on the border with Ukraine.
Editor's note: this article was updated on April 8 after President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on April 7 that the Ukrainian military was present in Belgorod Oblast. In late March, Ukrainian troops launched a raid into Russia's Belgorod Oblast. The small-scale incursion into yet another Russian region may be Ukraine's attempt
As Ukraine's seven-month-long incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast came to what appears to be its end, Ukrainian soldiers and military experts are questioning the operation's goal and the long-term effect it will have on the war. Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, using
According to sources who spoke with Reuters, U.S. intelligence agencies, including the CIA, briefed the White House, saying that while Ukrainian troops are facing intense pressure from Russian forces, they are not encircled.
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur covers the top stories impacting Ukraine this week. First in everyone’s concerns is the ongoing ceasefire negotiations and the latest developments in Ukraine’s Kursk operation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 12 reportedly made his first visit to Russia's Kursk Oblast since Ukraine's incursion into the region began in August 2024.
Ukraine’s retreat from Kursk Oblast appears more likely as the latest news shows Russia taking ground amid intense attacks to drive Ukraine out, experts and soldiers say. Retaking Ukrainian-held territory in Kursk Oblast could leave Kyiv without its hard-fought bargaining chip before potential negotiations with Russia. In recent days,
As Russian troops are set to push Ukrainian soldiers out of Kursk Oblast, experts say Kyiv's withdrawal from the region could be "politically significant." Ukraine's seven-month-long hold of a small portion of Russia's Kursk Oblast might be ending. On March 12, Russian troops entered the town of Sudzha, which served
“The military command is doing what it should do, preserving the maximum lives of our soldiers,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said, urging a “sober” assessment of the battlefield situation.
"I'm guessing, but I don't want to talk about it yet," Major General Dmytro Krasylnykov said when asked about the possible reasons for his removal.
According to DeepState, Russian forces have entered the eastern part of Sudzha and are entrenching their positions.
Russian forces have recaptured 12 settlements and 100 square kilometers in Kursk Oblast previously held by Ukrainian troops, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on March 11.
Russian forces have made a breakthrough south of the Ukrainian-held town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast, potentially threatening to cut off some of the Ukrainian positions in the Russian region.
Ukraine's forces are considering a withdrawal from Kursk, with 10,000 Ukrainian troops at risk of encirclement after Russia broke through key defense lines and disrupted supply chains, The Telegraph reported on March 8.
The facility was reportedly used for planning attacks, including launching first-person-view (FPV) drones at Ukrainian positions. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these claims.
Russia is attempting to enter Ukrainian territory with assault groups in the direction of the village of Novenke.
Russian forces have ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s logistic networks in Kursk Oblast, further hampering the Ukrainian effort to hold on to the Russian territory it controls ahead of potential peace talks, analysts and soldiers on the ground told the Kyiv Independent. “The Russians have been on the offensive
Ukraine and Russia have agreed to evacuate residents of Kursk Oblast through Belarus to other regions of the country, a Russian official claimed on Feb. 24.
One of the captured North Korean soldiers admitted that he and his fellow soldiers believed they were fighting South Korean troops, which heightened their morale and aggression, South Korean newspaper Chosun Daily reported.
President Vladimir Putin told Russian media on Feb. 18 that Russian forces had crossed into Ukrainian territory from Kursk Oblast, a claim General Staff spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovyi has dismissed as part of a disinformation campaign.
"This is impossible. Russia has never discussed and will never discuss the topic of exchanging its territory," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he planned to exchange territories if U.S. President Donald Trump succeeds in bringing Ukraine and Russia to the negotiating table, according to an interview with The Guardian published on Feb. 11.
The president said the cross-border offensive was "one of our most successful operations" and that it forced Russia "to give up their military units from the Zaporizhzhia direction."
According to Russian military bloggers, Ukrainian forces attacked southeast of Sudzha, advancing toward the settlements of Fanaseevka and Ulanok.
"You will see what conditions the Russians will have for Ukraine regarding the Kursk direction when we reach a diplomatic settlement of the war's end. This was a crucial step," Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 5.
The building was severely damaged, and Moscow suffered significant losses among Russian personnel, the General Staff said.
The plan was similar to Ukraine's cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024.
"As a result of the coordinated and precision strike, (Russia's) command and control post was destroyed," the statement read.
Key developments on Jan. 27: * North Korean troops seem to temporarily withdraw from one section of front in Kursk Oblast, military says * Russia claims to capture Velyka Novosilka, Ukraine admits partial retreat but says battles ongoing * Russia intensifies attacks near Pokrovsk, seeks to encircle Ukrainian forces * Zelensky appoints Ground Forces
North Korean forces are taking respite from hostilities, presumably to treat the wounded, wait for reinforcements, and work on mistakes made during the fighting in this sector of the front, according to Sky News.
The 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade repelled an assault of Russian troops near the village of Zhuravka in Sumy Oblast on the border with Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to the brigade's Jan. 15 statement.
Since the new push in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in early January, Ukraine has made small gains and managed to capture the first North Korean prisoners of war in the area but experts have raised concerns about Kyiv’s use of limited resources while fierce battles rage elsewhere. The assessment
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