Ukrainian forces in Kursk region limit Russian advances, inflicting heavy losses — military expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"Over five months of the Kursk operation, Ukrainian forces established a defensive system where Russian advances are minimal and come at a high cost, especially since this is not Ukrainian territory. Key strongholds, such as Sudzha and Malaya Loknya, remain firmly held. For nearly half a year, the Russians have been unable to breach Sudzha," noted Pekhno.

According to the military expert, the fourth wave of Russian offensives in the Kursk region is underway, significantly outnumbering Ukraine's counteroffensive actions that took place last week. There are no official statements yet regarding the developments in the region. It is likely an improvement of Ukraine's tactical positions in certain settlements, although it could also be a countermeasure aimed at disrupting the latest Russian offensive wave, preventing the Russians from sustaining their current level of assault activity.

"Russians will definitely not take Sudzha, as even their advances east of the city have been repelled by our assault units. There's now another security buffer around Sudzha," emphasized Pekhnio.

The military expert added that the key takeaway from the situation in the Kursk region is that the defense holds, and Russian forces are being eliminated. Ukrainian forces' offensive operations primarily aimed to degrade Russian fighting capabilities.

• On January 8, 192 combat engagements were recorded on the Russian-Ukrainian front. Ukrainian defenders halted 42 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk sector and repelled 48 attacks in the Kursk region.