Russian forces have reportedly struck a Ukrainian nursing home on Saturday evening in retaliation for Kyiv's renewed push into the Kursk region.
Newsweek has reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministries for comment by email on Sunday afternoon.
The Context
Progress between Russia and Ukraine once again stalled out over the winter season, when fighting has annually hit a lull due to poor weather making it difficult to advance in either direction. Additionally, the changeover between the Biden and a second Trump administration has made the future of the conflict murky at best as President-elect Donald Trump seeks a resolution between the two countries who have been at war since February 2022 after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion.
Ukraine retains a foothold in the Russian border territory Kursk region, which Kyiv's forces took in a surprising blitz offensive in August 2024. Ukraine sought to change the pace and tone of the conflict by taking the war to Russia's doorstep, and the successful incursion of Kursk appeared to do just.
What To Know
Ukraine resumed its push into Kursk last week, trying to reclaim some of the territory lost between the initial August incursion and the end of the year. The lack of progress and subsequent loss of territory in the region had led to a significant drop in morale, according to The Hill.
Ukraine then escalated the matter over the weekend with a drone raid against Russian targets that Kyiv claimed were locations of covert military facilities. The renewed push caught the Kremlin by surprise, with the final result of the attack remaining unclear, but it has reportedly prompted Russia to retaliate.
Ukrainian outlet The Kyiv Independent reported that Russia carried out a "double airstrike" on a nursing home in the Kursk town of Sudzha on Saturday evening, injuring one woman who later died of her injuries on Sunday morning.
The attack also reportedly dealt "heavy damage" to the nursing home, destroying all windows and doors.
According to UA Wire, Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksiy Dmitrashkovsky told reporters on Sunday, "Last evening, Russian aircraft carried out two airstrikes in the area surrounding the Sudzha nursing home. As a result, a woman suffered a laceration to her arm. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries by morning."
He added: "The question now is where to relocate these people. Most are elderly, and many suffer from disabilities, Parkinson's disease, post-stroke conditions, and one individual has a mental illness. The current state of these people is quite severe."
Around 2,000 people live in the area currently under Ukraine control, according to Dmitrashkovsky. He did not explain why Russia would attack a nursing home in its own region, even if it's under Ukrainian control.
However, Russia did attack a Ukrainian nursing home in the early days of the invasion. Kremlin-backed rebels assaulted the nursing home in Luhansk in March 2022, trapping dozens of elderly and disabled patients in the facility without water or electricity, according to the Associated Press.
Another nursing home attack occurred in September 2024 when a guided Russian bomb destroyed a home for the elderly in Ukraine, killing a 78-year-old woman and injuring 14 people.
What People Are Saying
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a speech at the U.S. air base Ramstein in Germany last week said: "We've come such a long way that it would honestly be crazy to drop the ball now and not keep building on the defense coalitions we've created—especially since they're already helping us grow and strengthen what's basically our shared defense power."
He added: "No matter what's going on in the world, everyone wants to feel sure that their country will not just be erased off the map. That used to depend on a handful of big capitals, but now it's on all of us—on how we work together, how ready we are to own our future, and how well we can convince our partners to stand with us. The more determination we show in defending our interests—the more interest our partners, and especially the U.S., will see it's good to stay on our side."
What Happens Next
Ukraine will continue its Kursk offensive ahead of Trump assuming office again on January 20, at which point the conflict may take a different turn depending on the president-elect's agenda.
Trump attempted to broker some kind of deal between Russia and Ukraine just days after he won the 2024 U.S. presidential election, but later admitted the situation may be more difficult than originally anticipated.
"I think actually more difficult is going to be the Russia-Ukraine situation," he said, comparing it to the Israel-Gaza conflict. "I see that as more difficult."
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