Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SSO) carried out a raid behind enemy lines in the Kursk region, eliminating 17 Russian soldiers and capturing 12, according to a report by the SSO on Telegram.
The 73rd Marine Center and the 6th Ranger Regiment played key roles in the operation. The SSO released a video, which Kyiv Post could not independently verify, showing close combat and the moment Russian soldiers were captured.
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The 810th Marine Brigade, based in Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, has reportedly been paying bribes to avoid deployment to the Kursk region, according to an early November report by the Atesh partisan movement.
Since August 2024, Ukrainian forces have been launching offensive operations in the Kursk region.
This is part of a broader strategy to weaken Russian defenses in the area and reduce their capacity for future attacks on Ukrainian territory.
In response, Russian forces have ramped up efforts to push Ukrainian troops out of their positions. As of late November, Ukraine had lost 40% of the territory it controlled in the Kursk region.
A recent BBC report quoted Ukrainian soldiers in the region claiming they were instructed to hold their positions until Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. According to one soldier, Pavlo, “Our main task is to hold as much territory as possible until Trump’s inauguration and the start of negotiations.”
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However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to expel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region by January to show control.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, dismissed the claim that Ukrainian forces were ordered to hold the region until Trump’s inauguration.
He emphasized that the Ukrainian military’s mission aligns with broader strategic goals and is part of ongoing combat efforts across various fronts.
In a related report, Ukrainian forces successfully repelled a large Russian offensive in the Kursk region. Anastasia Blyshchyk, press officer of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, stated on Nov. 12 that Russian forces had launched multiple waves of attacks, but Ukrainian forces destroyed 10 armored vehicles and repelled the assault using mines, FPV drones, and Stugna anti-tank systems.
Analyst Julian Röpke, writing for Bild, noted that Russian forces are suffering significant losses in their offensive. The New York Times also reported that Russian and North Korean forces are preparing a large-scale assault in the area, potentially involving up to 50,000 soldiers.
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