This was reported by President Vladimir Zelensky in an evening video address.
The head of state listened to a report from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, on January 4.
Zelensky did not provide specific figures, but just days earlier, on January 1, Syrskyi mentioned that the total losses of the Russians in the Kursk direction had already exceeded 38,000 personnel. During January 3-4, the enemy lost up to a battalion of infantry in the vicinity of the village of Makhnivka, the president noted.
Syrskyi also reported to Zelensky that fierce battles are ongoing along the entire front line, with the hottest fighting occurring in the Pokrovsk direction. The occupiers continue to expend a "crazy amount" of their personnel in assaults, the head of state emphasized.
In November, the New York Times, citing anonymous Ukrainian and American officials, reported that Russia had assembled a group of 50,000 troops for an offensive in the Kursk region, which includes North Korean soldiers. This was later confirmed by President Vladimir Zelensky.
Zelensky confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin set a goal to push Ukrainian forces out of the Kursk region by the inauguration of the newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump.
At the same time, former Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Pavliuk, noted that Russian troops in the Kursk region have changed their tactics for offensive actions. They are now operating in small groups, attempting to break through Ukraine's defenses.
As of December 17, military sources confirmed to Hromadske that half of the territory of the Kursk region, which had been captured by Ukrainian forces since the beginning of the operation, had already come under Russian control.
On December 31, it was reported that Special Operations Forces captured a village in the Kursk region of Russia. The village was held along with Russian troops by North Korean forces as well. It is still unknown which settlement was captured.