By April Lanux

Ukrainian forces on Sunday launched a new offensive inside Russia's western Kursk border region, going on the attack with substantial forces according to reports from Russian and Ukrainian military bloggers.

Russia's Defense Ministry reported a large-scale attack by Kyiv's forces involving armored columns that began on Sunday morning, with Ukrainian troops attacking in three directions inside Kursk.

Ukraine first seized a foothold inside the Kursk region with a surprise offensive in August. But Kyiv's forces have since been slowly pushed back by Russia, including recently with support from North Korean troops.

A Ukrainian military source confirmed to ABC News that a new offensive operation had begun.

The head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, Andrii Yermark, also appeared to cryptically confirm the offensive, writing on Telegram: "Kursk Oblast, good news! Russia is getting what it deserves."

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation center, also wrote that Ukrainian troops have gone on the attack in multiple directions inside Kursk.

Videos posted to Russian military blogger channels appeared to show columns of Ukrainian armored vehicles on the move. The Ukrainian assault appears to be Kyiv's most substantial offensive operation in Kursk since August.

Multiple Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian troops, tanks, armored vehicles and demining equipment attacked the villages of Berdin and Bolshoye Soldatskoye, north of Sudzha -- the main administrative border town that Ukraine captured in August.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement that two assaults were repelled. "The operation to destroy the Ukrainian Armed Forces formations continues," it wrote on Telegram.

Ukrainian troops appeared to make small advances on Sunday but did not achieve significant breakthroughs of the Russian lines, according to open-source monitors. Some Russian military bloggers said they believe Ukraine will attempt another push through Monday, with others suggesting Kyiv's main attack was yet to come.

The new Ukrainian assault comes just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, with the expectation that his new administration will push for a peace deal to end the nearly 3-year-old war.

By April Lanux

An opposition politician and several other protesters were arrested in Kenya on Monday during street demonstrations calling for an end to alleged abductions, that recently targeted young government critics.

Senator Okiya Omtatah had joined hundreds of protesters who sat down on the streets of the capital, Nairobi while chanting that police should free seven people abducted this month.

Police hurled tear gas canisters at the protesters and when Omtatah and several others did not disperse and held on to a long chain, they were arrested.

The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights on Thursday raised concern over a growing number of alleged kidnappings of government critics, saying that the total number of such cases stands at 82 since the anti-government protests in June.

President William Ruto on Saturday said the government would stop the abductions so that young people live in peace.

Rights groups allege the country’s police force is behind such kidnappings, but police have denied involvement and have said that they are investigating the disappearances.

Senator Omtatah on Monday filed a case at the High Court in Nairobi seeking to compel the government to free seven youths, accusing the police of abducting them.

“If they have committed a crime, let them be prosecuted and presented in court to defend themselves,” he said.

Young protesters said they were in solidarity with those abducted while going about their daily lives.

“We are existing at a time where we have to live in fear,” a protester, Orpah Thabiti said.

Four social media users went missing after they shared AI-generated images of President Ruto that were deemed offensive by government supporters.

The rights commission had warned that Kenya was heading back to the “dark days” of the disappearance of government critics. The abduction and torture of the opposition were common under the administration of the late President Daniel Moi.