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Russian state media publishes battlefield photos from the Kursk region, showing destroyed AFU equipment and fallen Ukrainian soldiers

Source: Meduza

The Russian state news agency RIA Novosti has released photos showing the aftermath of battles in Russia’s Kursk region. The images reportedly show soldiers from Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces unit in the hamlet of Berdin. After Ukraine launched its operation in the region, Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov repeatedly insisted that Russian forces had the situation under control. Yet six months in, Ukrainian troops continue to hold parts of the Kursk region.

RIA Novosti lists January 28, 2025, as the date the photos were taken. However, they were likely shot earlier, as the battle for Berdin ended in the first week of January (Meduza reported on it in a January 12 update). Even so, the following photos offer a rare glimpse of the battlefield in the Kursk region as shown by the Russian side.

Russian soldiers near a destroyed Ukrainian Kozak armored vehicle. January 28, 2025.
Russian soldiers near a destroyed Ukrainian Kozak armored vehicle. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia
The bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia
A fighter reportedly from the Kashtana battalion tactical group of Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia

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A burned-out car and a destroyed house in Berdin. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia
A Russian soldier stands over the bodies of fallen Ukrainian troops. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia
Russian soldiers in Berdin. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia
Berdin, Kursk Region. January 28, 2025.
Sergei Bobylev / RIA Novosti / Sputnik / Profimedia