Russian forces advance in Kursk and flank Ukrainian soldiers.
In recent days, Russia has launched a major paratrooper offensive from multiple directions into regions occupied by Ukraine.
(Reuters)- Russian forces advanced further into the Kursk region on Monday, flanking Ukrainian troops as part of a large encirclement operation aimed at forcing thousands of Ukrainian soldiers to flee or surrender in western Russia.
Russian advances threaten to encircle thousands of Ukrainian soldiers just as Ukraine prepares for talks with senior American diplomats in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, with US President Donald Trump pressing for a swift end to the war.
Ukrainian troops occupied about 1.300 km² (500 square miles) of the Kursk region in August, in a maneuver that Kyiv claimed was an attempt to gain leverage in future negotiations and force Russia to withdraw forces from eastern Ukraine.
However, by mid-February, Russia had already retaken at least 800 km² (300 square miles) of territory in Kursk and, in recent days, launched a major paratrooper offensive from multiple directions, threatening to cut supply lines and escape routes from Ukraine.
A Russian war blog, Two Majors, reported that Russian forces had taken the settlement of Ivashkovsky and that Russian units were advancing toward the so-called "cauldron" in Kursk from at least seven directions.
Yuri Podolyaka, a pro-Russian military blogger born in Ukraine, said he is having difficulty keeping up with events, as the Russian advance is very rapid. He stated that Ukrainian units are surrounded in several areas of Kursk.
"Over the past four days, Russian troops have retaken so much territory in the Kursk region that they sometimes haven't been able to advance this far in months," said a blogger close to the Ministry of Defense, known as Rybar.
Russian forces advanced further in their efforts to retake the Kursk region on Monday, threatening to surround thousands of Ukrainian soldiers as Kiev prepares for talks with American diplomats in Saudi Arabia.
"The front has been broken," Rybar said, adding that Russian forces are moving inside the Ukrainian border to cut off the main roads leading from Kursk to the Sumy region of Ukraine.
The Russian offensive presents a serious dilemma for Ukraine, just as the spring thaw turns the roads into muddy tracks: should they withdraw from Kursk, and if so, is it possible to do so without a disorderly retreat under intense Russian fire?
Offensive in Kursk
Russian forces retook three settlements in Kursk on Sunday after special forces advanced for kilometers along a gas pipeline near the city of Sudzha in an attempt to surprise Ukrainian troops.
Russian advances in 2024 and the shift in US policy toward Ukraine and Russia under Trump have heightened fears among European leaders that Ukraine will lose the war and that Trump is turning his back on Europe.
The United States suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine this month after a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28 that ended in a confrontation in front of the world media.
Zelensky said on Sunday that he had received a report from his commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, about the operation in Kursk, but did not reveal details.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated in its daily report on Sunday evening that Ukrainian forces would repel 27 Russian attacks along the front line in Kursk on Sunday.
