War in Ukraine: kyiv attacks in the Kursk region, Zelensky's reputation in sharp decline… an update on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Tuesday, January 7, 2025, discover the latest news about this conflict.

The Ukrainian army says it is conducting “new offensive operations” in the Russian region of Kursk

Ukraine said Tuesday that its armed forces have begun “new offensive actions” in the Kursk region in western Russia, its first major comment since Moscow reported a new Ukrainian advance on Sunday.

Ukrainian forces seized part of the Kursk region in a surprise raid in August and managed to hold onto some territory for five months despite Russian counteroffensives. The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that kyiv had launched a new counterattack.

The Ukrainian General Staff, which has released little information about the operation to ensure its security, said Tuesday that its military attacked a Russian command center near Belaya, a village in southwestern Kursk Oblast. The strike, like other recent operations in the region, is part of a series of “new offensive operations” against Russian forces, the high command added.

The Russian Defense Ministry, which called the Ukrainian counterattack “botched”, said in a statement that its troops had struck Ukrainian units in the Kursk region. It listed six locations where Russian forces had reportedly defeated Ukrainian brigades and seven others, including across the border, where strikes were reportedly carried out against Ukrainian units and equipment. Reuters was unable to verify the claims by either side.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said geotagged videos from the area showed Ukrainian pushes northwest of the city of Sudzha, while Russian military bloggers reported fighting northwest of the city.

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

The escalation of fighting in Kursk comes at a critical time for Ukraine, whose overstretched troops are struggling to halt Russia’s advance in its eastern territory. Retaining some Russian territory could be a bargaining chip in potential negotiations less than two weeks before the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to end the war quickly but has not specified how.

According to estimates by Ukraine and its allies, Russian forces in the Kursk region are reinforced by 11,000 North Korean troops. Russia has so far neither confirmed nor denied their presence.

President Zelensky's popularity to drop sharply in 2024

Ukrainians still overwhelmingly support President Volodymyr Zelensky in his actions, after almost three years of Russian invasion, a figure that will nevertheless be in sharp decline in 2024, according to the results of a survey published Tuesday by a specialist institute in kyiv.

The Kiev International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted a telephone survey of 2,000 people living in territory under Ukrainian control between December 2 and 17, about a month after Donald Trump's victory in the American presidential election, which rekindled speculation about possible peace talks with Moscow.

According to the results, at the end of 2024, 52% of Ukrainians surveyed said they “trusted” Volodymyr Zelensky, a figure that is sharply lower than at the end of 2023 (77 %), reflecting a decline in support for the Ukrainian president after nearly three years of high-intensity war.

Current support for the Ukrainian head of state, in office since 2019, is stronger in the West (60%) and the Center (52%), regions relatively unaffected by the war, than in the East (only 42%) and the South (46%), where most of the fighting is taking place.

According to this survey, nearly 4 out of 10 Ukrainians (39%) now say they “do not trust” Volodymyr Zelensky, almost double the number in December 2023 (22%).

In recent weeks, the debate on possible peace negotiations with Moscow has intensified, against a backdrop of rapid Russian advances in the Donbass (east) and in the context of Donald Trump's return to power on January 20 the White House.

The American president-elect has assured that he wants to quickly end the “carnage” in Ukraine, raising fears in kyiv that it will have to make territorial concessions to Russia in order to obtain peace.

Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, is demanding “security guarantees” from his Western allies, led by the Americans, before any negotiations with Moscow.

The Ukrainian president was elected in April 2019, promising in particular to fight for peace with Russia. His approval ratings then declined, before soaring back to almost 90% approval after the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022.