Moscow, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The Russian defense ministry stated that its troops successfully repelled a counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces in Russia's western Kursk region on Thursday.
This Russian announcement coincided with the six-month anniversary of Ukraine's military crossing into the Kursk region, marking the most significant foreign attack on Russia since World War II.
Russian forces have regained much of the lost territory in the region following the Ukrainian incursion.
The defense ministry of Russia reported that Ukrainian troops and armored vehicles launched multiple attacks near the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka.
The ministry stated on Telegram, As of 2100 (Moscow time - 1800 GMT), units of the North group of forces successfully thwarted a Ukrainian armed forces counterattack targeted at Cherkasskaya Konopelka and Ulanok.
The settlements remained under Russian control, with the ministry indicating heavy losses on the Ukrainian side, including over 200 servicemen and numerous vehicles.
There was no official statement from the Ukrainian military, but unofficial military blogs suggested limited tactical gains by Kyiv's forces and questioned Moscow's reports of significant losses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy acknowledged the incursion's six-month anniversary in his nightly video address without mentioning any counteroffensive.
Reflecting on the conflict, Zelenskiy emphasized that the incursion made Russians experience the realities of war, stating, brought the war home for Russians so that they might feel just what war is. And they are feeling it.
While Ukraine's presence in Kursk has diminished since the August 6 incursion, it remains a potential bargaining chip in future peace negotiations.
As the war approaches its three-year mark on February 24, Russia controls roughly a fifth of Ukraine.