"Although the success of the raid was tactical, it again gained a lot of public attention and poured a decent amount of salt into the open wound of the Russian military leadership, regarding the inability to retake the captured areas of Kursk Oblast," Col. Kiviselg said during Friday's weekly Ministry of Defense press conference.

Russia's failure in Kursk has also been compounded, according to the EDF colonel, by Ukraine's pinpoint strikes on the 76th Pskov Air Assault Division and 810th Naval Infantry Brigade command posts, which resulted in the death and wounding of several senior officers. It also severely undermined the command capabilities of those units.

"In response, the Russian Federation forces have increased the size of their activity in the Kursk Oblast operational area the equivalent of that in the Pokrovsk and Kurakhove lines of operation. However, that intensity quickly declined and the regular battle rhythm of around 40 attacks per day has been restored," he said.

"The situation in Kursk is also illustrated in the claims of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that a third of the 12,000-strong North Korean contingent that has moved into Kursk Oblast – up to 3,800 troops – have already been killed or wounded, without Russia achieving any military success," Col. Kiviselg said.

"We have received information from a number of different sources that North Korean personnel have indeed been involved in intense exchange of fire in the offensive sector to repel infantry attacks, and that North Korean units are being sent unprepared and without the support of indirect fire into infantry attacks more easily than units of the Russian Federation Armed Forces. Therefore, this ratio of losses is quite likely," Col. Kiviselg continued.

Col. Kiviselg said that in the broader context, the Kursk issue as well as the surrender and withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria all remain unresolved. "This is putting increasing pressure on the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces. It also puts pressure on Putin himself from the Russian public."

The deepening pessimism in Russia is additionally fueled by continuing Ukrainian drone attacks on key infrastructure, according to Col. Kiviselg.

"Thus, on the night of January 4, Ukraine attacked the Novatrans oil terminal in the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's Leningrad Oblast, achieving at least one hit. On January 8, a fuel depot at Engels-2, used to refuel the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS bombers belonging to 121st Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment and the 184th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment was attacked. The aftermath of this very successful attack is still being cleaned up and will have a major impact on the use of these aircraft in mass cruise missile attacks on Ukraine," said Col. Kiviselg.

Col. Kiviselg explained that the impact of those attacks cannot immediately be seen on the battlefield. For that reason, Russia still maintains the tactical initiative on the ground.

"The intensity of the attacks is recovering from the reconfiguration which happened over the New Year holidays, and now averages 174 attacks per day," the EDF colonel said.

"According to publicly available information, Russia gained tactical control of the settlement of Kurakhove and the reservoir area in Donetsk Oblast last week and has moved westwards from there. Russia has also stepped up the pressure in the long-standing Vozdvyzhenka region (in Donetsk Oblast – ed.), putting the road linking Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka at risk. Units of the Russian Armed Forces have also moved towards the highly built-up Toretsk. In the direction of Lyman, the Russian forces have managed to cross the Zherebets River, which gives them the opportunity to put pressure on the crossing points on both sides of the river in the settlement of Terny. Despite this, Ukraine's organized defenses remain in place and every square kilometer of its territory is still costing the aggressor at least 100 lives," Col. Kiviselg said.

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