The Ukrainian military has launched a new offensive in the Kursk region of Russia as Moscow’s forces continue to push deep inside eastern Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence confirmed in a statement on Sunday that Ukrainian forces launched new attacks amid their incursion into Russia that began with a surprise assault in August.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the intensification of the Ukrainian defence forces' offensive in Kursk Oblast may indicate a new stage in the Ukrainian defence operation in Kursk,

Russia's defence ministry said its forces were beating back the Ukrainian forces but some reports from Russian military bloggers suggested the Russian side had come under heavy pressure.

Russia said Sunday that Ukraine had launched a "counterattack" in the western border region of Kursk, where Kyiv's forces began a shock ground offensive last August.- Airports shut - Both Russia and Ukraine have exchanged regular attacks since the year began.

The surprise attack seeks to reverse Ukraine’s decreasing hold of the region. Since Kyiv’s forces gained partial control of Kursk following a daring cross-border assault last August, Russian troops, aided by North Korean soldiers, have halved the territory held by Ukraine, albeit while suffering thousands of casualties.

The 67th Separate Mechanized Brigade repelled an assault of Russian troops near the village of Zhuravka in Sumy Oblast on the border with Russia's Kursk Oblast, according to the brigade's Jan. 15 statement.

Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region have captured 27 Russian soldiers. Intense fighting continues in the area. This is partly due to the upcoming inauguration of Donald Trump. The Ukrainian air assault forces reported capturing 27 Russian soldiers in the Kursk region.