Something struck a group of Russian troops in Lgov, a town of 21,000 in western Russia’s Kursk Oblast, late Sunday or early Monday. “It’s terrible,” a bystander cried. “The guys are all in the bunker,” they added as the bunker burned.

Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied by daily combat losses and demoralized by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk.

The Associated Press spoke to a few Ukrainian commanders and soldiers fighting in Kursk to understand the situation as they risk losing hard-earned land in Kursk to Russian forces amid counteroffensive.

Residents of the Kursk region in Russia reported explosions in the city of Lgov on the evening of Monday, December 30, according to the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein. Khinshtein has traditionally claimed that the attack came from Ukraine.

Explosions were reported in the city of Lgov in Russia's Kursk region late on December 30. That is according to the Telegram channel ASTRA, Ukrinform reports. Acting Governor of Kursk Region, Alexander Khinshtein, confirmed the strike on the city, noting that "currently, there have been no reports of casualties or significant damage."