Russia claims massive Ukraine losses in Kursk offensive

Shafaq News/ Ukraine lost over 76,500 troops and hundreds of armored vehicles during military operations in Russia’s Kursk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday, according to TASS.

In a statement, the ministry said Ukrainian forces had suffered the loss of 412 tanks, 341 infantry fighting vehicles, 314 armored personnel carriers, 2,297 other armored combat vehicles, 2,803 motor vehicles, 647 artillery systems, 64 multiple launch rocket systems — including 15 US-made HIMARS units — and 31 anti-aircraft missile launchers.

Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported today to President Vladimir Putin that Russian forces had fully secured the Kursk region from Ukrainian troops.

Ukraine’s General Staff described in a post on Telegram the battlefield situation as "difficult," stressing its forces were maintaining positions in the Kursk region and continuing their incursion into Russia’s Belgorod region.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump confirmed that Russia and Ukraine were "very close to a deal" to end the war, following talks this week between his envoy, Steve Witkoff, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine launched the cross-border operation last August in an effort to establish a buffer zone aimed at preventing Russian troops from reinforcing the eastern front.