War in Ukraine: Russia accuses kyiv of killing civilians in the Kursk region, Russian drones shot down… the latest on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Sunday, January 19, 2025, discover the latest news about this conflict.

Moscow accuses Ukraine of killing civilians in Kursk region

Russia said Sunday it has opened an investigation into allegations that Ukrainian troops killed civilians in a Russian village seized by kyiv’s forces. Ukraine has seized control of dozens of border towns in Russia’s western Kursk region since launching a surprise offensive there in August, and says about 2,000 civilians still live in the areas it occupies.

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The Russian military began to push back the offensive and recaptured several towns. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said Ukrainian troops had “killed at least seven civilians sheltering in the basement of a house” in the village of Russkoe Porechnoye, about 20 kilometres from the border.

Russian state media overnight published a video, provided by the military, showing Russian troops discovering bodies in a basement. AFP was not immediately able to verify the claims or the video, which showed Russian soldiers in a dark room removing blankets and clothing from bodies.

Ukraine has not responded officially. In a statement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of “cannibalistic massacre of civilians.”

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of killing civilians since the conflict began nearly three years ago. Russian forces are accused of murdering hundreds of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, near kyiv.

AFP journalists were among international media outlets that saw and photographed the bodies of dead Ukrainian civilians, some with their hands tied, in the town. Moscow has rejected the atrocities in Bucha and accused kyiv of staging the footage. The claim has been debunked by several independent fact-checking organizations and media outlets, including AFP.

Ukraine says it shot down 43 Russian drones targeting nine regions

Ukrainian air defenses shot down 43 of 61 drones launched by Russia in a nighttime attack that targeted nine regions of Ukraine, the air force said.

It added that 15 other drones were “lost”, a reference to Ukraine's use of electronic warfare tools to influence the trajectory of Russian drones. No major damage or casualties were immediately reported by the authorities.