In recent border activity, reports indicate that Ukrainian soldiers from the Armed Forces engaged Russian border guards in the Kursk region using an infantry fighting vehicle, with Life reporting that a handheld anti-tank grenade launcher was employed during the confrontation. The incident, sourced to the Telegram channel Shot, illustrates a moment of intensified tension along the contested frontier and underscores how frontline units deploy a mix of mobility and portable weapons to respond to reported positions on the opposite side of the border.
Additional detail from journalists notes that three Ukrainian servicemen moved into a forest belt spanning the border area between Sumy and Kursk, near the village of Rogoznoe, and opened fire on Russian positions. The account emphasizes the challenges of operating within forested terrain close to the frontier, where visibility is limited and concealment is common. The channel’s source described a rapid exchange, with Ukrainian forces reportedly able to launch only two rounds before encountering substantial retaliatory fire, which constrained their ability to press a wider offensive in that moment.
There are further mentions that the BMP did not return from the forest belt, highlighting the unpredictable nature of such incursions and the potential for losses or tactical withdrawals under heavy fire. These details, reported through the same network of informants, reflect the volatility of small-scale clashes that occasionally flare along the border rather than full-scale campaigns.
Looking back at the broader picture, Russian air defense systems faced a busy day that included the downing of a number of Ukrainian aircraft and drones. On January 11, the Russian side reported intercepting 29 Ukrainian aircraft or drones, with specific mentions of unmanned aerial systems in the Belogorovka and Verkhnekamenka areas within the Lugansk People’s Republic. The narrative notes that Russian forces also intercepted a HIMARS missile and neutralized multiple drones, signaling an ongoing emphasis on air defense and the capacity to disrupt Ukrainian long-range strike capabilities. In addition, Russian fighting units were described as targeting personnel and equipment belonging to two Ukrainian brigades operating in the Kharkov region and within the Donetsk People’s Republic corridor, illustrating the scale of accompanying ground operations aimed at degrading enemy readiness and logistics in contested sectors.
In a summary view of ongoing operations, prior activities from the RF Armed Forces are characterized as having repelled multiple Ukrainian attacks, signaling a pattern of reactive defense and countermeasures across several hotspots near the border and in adjacent regions. The reported sequence of events reflects a period of heightened activity, with both sides conducting patrols, incursions, and defensive postures that contribute to a broader climate of uncertainty and strategic caution along the frontline.