Russians in Kursk region ‘shocked’ as Ukraine launches new offensive | News about the Russia-Ukraine war

On Sunday, photographer and social activist Oleg Pogozhikh went to work to the sound of explosions in his studio in Kursk, western Russia.

The Kursk region, located on the border, was occasionally bombed at the beginning of the all-out war with Ukraine. Fighting intensified in August last year when Ukraine launched a daring incursion into the area and captured several settlements. Since then, Russia has recaptured much of the conquered territory.

But fighting broke out again this weekend as Ukraine launched a new offensive in Kursk.

“Everything is as usual: missile warning sirens, explosions somewhere nearby,” Pogozhikh wrote in his Telegram feed titled “Eye of Kursk.”

“It’s particularly loud today. I’m in the studio and a few times I was shaken so hard that it blocked my ears. Close. So close that the question arises: What does the enemy want to achieve? Their goal, of course, is to spoil the holidays, sow panic and divert attention.”

At around 9 a.m., Ukrainian forces began their renewed advance, advancing from their occupied territory of Sudja toward the villages of Berdin and Bolshoye Soldierskoye on the way to the city of Kursk.

“The events started earlier, namely after midnight,” Yan Furtsev, a local official from Russia’s liberal opposition Yabloko party, told Al Jazeera.

“Warnings about missile threats began to sound, explosions were heard on the streets of Kursk, which were due to the use of missile defense systems. But the frequency of explosions that night was higher than on previous January nights and even in December. Nearly 16 missile warnings and one drone strike warning were heard in almost 24 hours.”

During the uprising, Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov traveled to Kursk and met with the local governor. Although the reasons for his visit have not been officially announced, it is believed that he came to personally oversee the region’s defenses.

“All this cannot but cause concern among citizens living in the city of Kursk, as the noise and shock waves of the launched drones and missiles are noticeably spread across the outskirts of the city,” Furtsev continued, adding that locals have been since Feel increased anxiety in the first week Since January is a holiday in Russia, there is little information available.

But not all residents are cowering in fear.

“Everything is calm and good in Kursk,” Pogozhikh told Al Jazeera.

“I have confidence in the Russian army. It may be loud, but people don’t worry. The attack by (enemy) troops appears to only take place on Telegram. In reality, this is far from the truth. Life goes on as usual. Russian air defenses shoot down their drones and missiles, so few people pay attention. When the enemy attacks civilian objects and women, children and old people die, it obviously annoys us a little.”

Oleg Ignatov, a senior analyst at Crisis Group, told Al Jazeera the scale of the latest attack in Ukraine was “still small”.

“No significant progress has been made so far,” he said. “The Russian armed forces are better prepared to defend themselves this time. But perhaps what happened is a diversion or a test that could be followed by an attempt at a major attack, perhaps somewhere else.”

He added that Ukraine needs “new successes on the ground” before the start of US President-elect Donald Trump’s term, a moment that many expect will change the direction of the Russian-Ukrainian war, possibly towards of a ceasefire.

“The goals here are again political and not military in nature like in the Kursk operation in the summer,” said Ignatov.

In October, Russian officials reported that at least 398 civilians had been killed since February 2022 as a result of hostilities in Russian border areas.

“If we talk about the city of Kursk, it has been quieter in recent months – on some days the missile threat warning could be issued once or twice a day,” Furtsev said.

“If we talk about the Kursk region in general, then in the second half of December and the first days of January, the border towns of Rylsk and Lgov, as well as the village of Ivanovskoye in Rylsk District were attacked by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This caused significant damage to the cities. The restoration of destroyed objects is not yet complete. People are more likely to die from attacks in border areas. On January 3, a 63-year-old man died in Rylsk district after being hit by a combat drone.”

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Sunday’s attack consisted of “two tanks, one anti-obstacle vehicle and twelve armored fighting vehicles.”

The Russian military has since claimed it repelled the attack and destroyed part of the Ukrainian tank column with heavy air and artillery fire.

In August last year, Ukrainian troops seized part of the territory just across the border inside Russia, including the town of Sudzha, home to a key pipeline supplying Europe with Russian gas. However, the flow of gas was halted on January 1 as an agreement between the two warring sides expired.

During the occupation of Sudzha, Ukraine assumed responsibility for maintaining law and order and supplying essential supplies such as food, water and medicine, but confiscated cell phones to prevent remaining locals from reporting movements to the enemy.

In an interview with NBC in September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested that the fate of Kursk could play a role in future ceasefire talks. In November, displaced people from Sudzha staged a small protest in Kursk, accusing the authorities of failing to protect them.

However, despite Ukraine’s initial success, the Russians slowly regain ground, with Sudja itself being bombed as Russia attempts to retake it.

Russian forces in the region have reportedly been bolstered by 12,000-strong reinforcements from their ally North Korea, although the Kremlin has rejected all claims of North Korean troops. When the North Koreans are there, they keep a low profile and are hardly noticed by the public.

“There are all sorts of rumors,” Pogozhikh said.

“I’ve heard about the Koreans, but I think of it as a story. But that the gods and the Almighty are helping the Russians is a fact.”

Still, Moscow’s military may not have been able to finally rout the Ukrainians.

Before Sunday’s operation, Zelensky claimed that heavy casualties had been inflicted on Russian and North Korean soldiers. An entire North Korean battalion was reportedly wiped out near the village of Makhnovka.