Russians in Kursk region ‘shaken’ as Ukraine launches new offensive

Fighting intensifies in western Russia months after Zelenskyy hinted that holding territory in Kursk could embolden his plans for victory.

On Sunday, photographer and social activist Oleg Pogozhikh went to work at his studio in Kursk, western Russia, to the roar of explosions.

Sitting on the border, the Kursk region came under occasional bombardment early on in the full-scale war with Ukraine. Fighting intensified in August last year, when Ukraine launched a daring incursion into the area, capturing several settlements. Russia has since retaken much of the territory seized.

But this weekend has seen resurgent battles as Ukraine launched a new offensive in Kursk.

“Everything is as usual: missile warning sirens, explosions somewhere nearby,” Pogozhikh wrote on his Telegram feed, titled Eye of Kursk.

“Today it is especially loud. I am in the studio, and a couple of times I was shaken so much that it blocked out my ears. Close. So close that the question arises: what is the enemy trying to achieve? Of course, their goal is to spoil the holiday season, sow panic, distract attention.”