61 drones russes abattus par l'Ukraine. Illustration. MAXPPP – Pavlo_Bagmut/Avalon
Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Sunday, January 5, 2025, discover the latest news about this conflict.
A Ukrainian counterattack in the Kursk region
Moscow said Sunday that Ukraine had launched a counterattack in Russia's Kursk region, where kyiv's forces already control several hundred square kilometers since an offensive in August 2024, a surprise assault two weeks before Donald Trump's return to the White House.
The inauguration of the “unpredictable” Republican on January 20 has raised fears in Kiev of a drastic reduction in U.S. support, which is vital to the Ukrainian army, and that the leader, who has vowed to resolve the conflict “in 24 hours,” will force Ukraine to make concessions to Vladimir Putin.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“At around 9 a.m., the enemy launched a counterattack to halt the advance of Russian troops in the Kursk region. Kursk”, the Russian military said in a statement on Sunday. According to it, “the assault group of the Ukrainian army was defeated by artillery and aviation” and “the operation to destroy units of the Ukrainian forces continues.”
The Ukrainian army, which has remained silent for the moment on this new operation, has occupied several hundred square kilometers of the Russian region of Kursk, on the border, since August 2024, controlling in particular the small town of Soudja.
Russia is now supported in the area by thousands of North Korean soldiers, according to the West and kyiv. The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, published a fairly clear message on Telegram, without directly confirming the Ukrainian initiative: “Kursk region, good news. Russia is getting what it deserves.”
Andriy Kovalenko, an official of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said that the Russians “were attacked from several sides, which surprised them.”
The Telegram channel Mash, known to be close to the Russian authorities, assured that “the men of the Ukrainian army are moving in small groups. The total number of their troops is 2,000″.
According to Russian military bloggers, well informed about the hostilities, the Ukrainian forces are trying in particular to take control of Berdin, a small town located about 20 kilometers from the border.
“The enemy's electronic warfare equipment is increasingly active on the site, which hinders the use of drones”, the channel specified on Telegram “Rybar“, close to the Russian army and followed by more than 1.3 million subscribers.
Ukrainian Air Force claims to have shot down 61 Russian drones
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 61 of the 103 drones launched by Russia on Saturday night, the air force announced. Forty-two other drones were “lost“, Kyiv added. No casualties or major damage were immediately reported.
In Russia, airports in the cities of Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Izhevsk and Perm were briefly closed by authorities. The aviation watchdog did not specify the reason, but closures are common in the event of a Ukrainian drone attack in the region.