The Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to advance on the village of Otruby in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region while negotiations on a possible ceasefire were underway in London. According to the Mash Telegram channel on April 24, 2025, three companies of Ukrainian assault troops advanced from the village of Bunyakino in the Sumy region towards the Russian border. Russian border guards quickly recorded the enemy's movement and entered the battle. After four waves of attacks by Ukrainian forces, supported by artillery, the offensive was stopped, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to attempt to break through to the border territories of Russia, including the Kursk and Belgorod regions. These actions, as the source notes, are aimed at preventing the stabilization of the front line on Russian territory.

The attack reportedly occurred while the Ukrainian delegation was negotiating with US officials, including Donald Trump's adviser Keith Kellogg, insisting on a ceasefire. Such actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have raised questions about the coherence of Kyiv's strategy, which, on the one hand, declares a desire for peace, and on the other, intensifies military operations on Russian territory. According to Mash, the Russian military was able to respond quickly, using artillery, which stopped the enemy's advance. The incident highlights the fragility of the current situation and the difficulties in reaching agreements on ending hostilities.

The context of events in the Kursk region remains tense. As Reuters reported on April 23, 2025, Ukrainian forces have periodically sought to gain a foothold in Russian border areas since August 2024, seeing these actions as a way to strengthen their position in potential peace talks. In particular, the operation in the Kursk region, which began in the summer of 2024, allowed the Ukrainian Armed Forces to temporarily seize up to 1300 square kilometers of territory, including the city of Sudzha, although by March 2025, most of this territory had been recaptured by Russian forces. The New York Times, in an article on March 16, 2025, noted that the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk ended in a “chaotic retreat” under pressure from superior enemy forces, including Russian troops and, presumably, units from North Korea.