Intense battles are unfolding in Russia’s Kursk region as Ukrainian forces struggle to hold their positions against a large-scale Russian offensive.
The fighting comes more than two years after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and months after Ukrainian troops staged a surprise blitzkrieg in the area last summer, briefly seizing swathes of Russian territory.
This according to hotnews.ro.
Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of a Chechen unit fighting for Russia, announced on Telegram that "all units have launched a large-scale offensive" in the Kursk sector.
"The enemy is abandoning its positions," he claimed, suggesting Ukrainian troops are retreating under pressure.
General Alaudinov also said that Russian airborne brigades and Akhmat special forces are taking part in “fierce fighting.”
“Our guys are advancing very well,” he said.
Meanwhile, pro-Russian war blogger "Two Majors" reported on Saturday that Russian troops had begun an assault on Sudja, a strategic town just 9.5 kilometers (about six miles) from the Ukrainian border, describing the situation for Ukrainian troops there as "almost critical."
According to Russia’s Defense Ministry, its forces recaptured three villages in Kursk—Viktorovka, Nikolaevka, and Staraya Sorochina—on Saturday.
However, Reuters has been unable to independently verify these claims. Open-source intelligence maps also indicate that Ukraine’s defensive positions in the region have sharply deteriorated, with its troops at risk of encirclement by Russian forces.
Ukraine’s difficulties on the battlefield coincide with a shift in U.S. policy, as former President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze military aid and intelligence-sharing with Kyiv has placed additional pressure on Ukraine’s war effort. The move is part of broader U.S. efforts to push Ukraine toward a ceasefire with Moscow, a prospect that Kyiv has repeatedly resisted.
As the conflict escalates in Kursk, the outcome of these battles could have significant implications for the ongoing war, potentially altering the balance of power along the Russia-Ukraine front.
