Thousands of Ukrainian troops who entered Russia’s Kursk region last August are on the brink of being surrounded by Russian forces, dealing a significant blow to Ukraine’s leverage in potential peace talks with Moscow.
According to Reuters, open-source maps indicate a sharp deterioration in Ukraine’s situation in Kursk over the past three days, following Russian forces’ retaking of territory as part of a counteroffensive.
This development has nearly cut the Ukrainian force in two, separating the main group from its primary supply lines.
The situation is exacerbated by Washington’s decision to suspend intelligence sharing with Kyiv, potentially forcing Ukrainian forces to retreat or risk capture or death.
Military analysts Pasi Paroinen and Yan Matveev concur that the situation is dire, with Paroinen stating, “The situation for Ukraine in Kursk is very bad.”
An authoritative Ukrainian military blogging resource, Deep State, reports that approximately three-quarters of the Ukrainian force inside Russia is almost completely encircled.
The troops are connected to the remaining Ukrainian force near the Russian border by a narrow land corridor, which Russian forces are attempting to sever.
Additionally, Russian forces are pressuring Kyiv’s positions in the border area with the Sumy region, aiming to block supplies to Ukrainian forces inside Kursk.