Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region are almost surrounded, which increases the risk of their retreat or captivity.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that its forces registered 12 villages in the Russian Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops unexpectedly invaded in August and occupied parts of the territory. According to the AFP report, TASR reports this.
“The troops of the northern group of troops have liberated 12 settlements during the offensive … and more than 100 square kilometers of the Kursk region,” the Russian ministry said.
Ukrainian forces unexpectedly invaded the Russian Kursk region in August and occupied approximately 1300 square kilometers of its territory in two weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj claimed that the aim of this military operation is also to alleviate pressure on Ukrainian troops fighting against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. At the same time, they wanted to force Moscow to redirect the resources to defend their own territory, and also to provide Kiev’s potential advantage in future peace negotiations.
However, Russian units managed to recover parts of the territory. Reuters on Friday on the basis of the battlefield maps reported that tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region are almost surrounded by Russian forces and cut off from the main supply lines. According to the agency, the uncertain situation of Ukraine increases the possibility that its troops will have to retreat, or risk capturing at a time when Kiev is under the pressure of the US, calling for Ukraine and Russia to negotiations on a ceasefire.
The latest announcement of obtaining control of the villages came after Ukraine had a massive drone attack on the Russian Moscow area on Tuesday night. The Russian air defense claims that it destroyed 337 drones, 91 of which in the Moscow region.
In the meantime, a meeting of US and Ukraine representatives in Saudi Arabia began on Tuesday. Ukraine is ready to submit to the United States a plan of a partial ceasefire with Russia in the hope that it will restore support from the US.
