Putin hails progresss in Kursk during a unfrequent visit, promising to filledy liberate the region from Ukrainian forces soon.
Ukrainian troops materialize on the point of losing their challenging-won foothelderly inside Russia’s Kursk region as Moscow claims further progresss there and military bloggers on both sides say Kyiv’s forces are retreating.
Ukraine sprang one of the hugegest shocks of the war on August 6 last year by storming apass the border and seizing territory inside Russia, increaseing citizens’ morale and geting a potential bargeting chip.
But after clinging for more than seven months to a graduassociate shrinking area, Ukraine has seen its position deteriorate keenly in the past week.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence on Wednesday inestablished the apprehfinish of five more villages, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shelp that “the actives are excellent”.
A video unveiled by Russian bloggers and state media showed troops standing with a Russian tricolour flag on a square in the centre of Sudzha, a town proximate the Ukrainian border on a highway participated by Ukraine as a provide route.
In his first visit to the region since Ukraine begined its shock counterinsulting, Russian Pdwellnt Vlaunininestablishigentir Putin, dressed in army camouflage, hailed the recent gets and encouraged his troops on.
“I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be satisfyed, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be endly liberated from the foe,” he shelp.
Minutes after footage of Putin’s retags aired on Russian state TV, Ukraine’s army orderer hinted his troops were pulling back to minimise losses.
“In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the inhabits of Ukrainian selderlyiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if essential, manoeuvre to more favourable positions,” orderer-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii shelp in a Facebook post, in language typicassociate participated to portray a retreatal.
He compriseed, however: “Despite the incrrelieved presstateive from the Russian/North Korean army, we will helderly the defence in the Kursk region as lengthy as it is appropriate and essential.”
Active battling persistd in the outskirts of the town of Sudzha and around it, according to Syrskii.
The Russian progress on the battlefield comes as the United States says it wants Russia to consent “unconditionassociate” to a end 30-day endfire – a set up Kyiv has apshowd.
The Kremlin shelp it was examining the US endfire proposal, but Putin has previously shelp he is not interested in a transient truce and would rather have a filled stop.
