Kiev (Reuters) – Ukraine has lost more than 40% of the territory in Russia’s Kursk region, which it quickly seized in a surprise incursion in August as Russian forces mounted waves of counterattacks, a senior Ukrainian military source said.
The source, who is on Ukraine’s General Staff, said Russia had sent some 59,000 troops to the Kursk region since Kiev’s forces invaded and advanced quickly, catching Moscow off guard for 2 1/2 years in its invasion in large scale of Ukraine.
“At most we controlled about 1,376 square kilometers (531 square miles), now it is clear that this territory is smaller. The enemy is increasing its counterattacks,” the source said.
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“We now control approximately 800 square kilometers (309 square miles). We will hold this territory for as long as is militarily appropriate.”
The Kursk offensive was the first land invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II and caught Moscow off guard.
With the advance on Kursk, Kiev aimed to contain Russian attacks in eastern and northeastern Ukraine, force Russia to push back forces gradually advancing in the east, and give Kiev an extra advantage in any future peace negotiations.
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But Russian forces continue to advance steadily in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
The Ukrainian General Staff source reiterated that around 11,000 North Korean troops had arrived in the Kursk region in support of Russia, but that the bulk of their forces were still finishing their training.
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The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Kiev’s latest assessment of the state of the situation in the Kursk region. Reuters was unable to independently verify the numbers or descriptions provided.
Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean forces in Kursk.
The head of Ukraine’s armed forces said on November 11 that his beleaguered forces were not only fighting Russian reinforcements in Kursk, but also fighting to reinforce two beleaguered fronts in eastern Ukraine and preparing for an infantry attack in the south.
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