Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that his army commanders were committed to “preserving the maximum of lives of our soldiers,” battling the Russian offensive in the Kursk pocket.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said: “The military command is doing what it should do, preserving the maximum of lives of our soldiers.”
He warned against believing Russian information warfare aimed at developments in the Kursk salient, occupied by Ukraine in a surprise offensive in August, amid reports that Russian troops were on the advancing, pushing Ukrainian forces back to the frontier.
Reuters says it had verified a video of Putin’s soldiers flying the Russian tricolor in a square in Sudhza, a key town and transport hub occupied by Ukraine.
Reports of the fighting remain confused, with some claiming Ukrainian troops were still fighting inside Sudhza. However, Reuters quoted Skadovskyi Defender, a Ukrainian military blogger, who wrote on Telegram, “Ukraine’s Armed Forces are leaving Kursk. There will be no Ukrainian soldier there by Friday.”
Other reports have suggested that the Russian attack risked encircling thousands of Ukrainian troops.
He warned against believing Russian information warfare aimed at developments in the Kursk salient, occupied by Ukraine in a surprise offensive in August, amid reports that Russian troops were on the advancing, pushing Ukrainian forces back to the frontier.
Reuters says it had verified a video of Putin’s soldiers flying the Russian tricolor in a square in Sudhza, a key town and transport hub occupied by Ukraine.
Reports of the fighting remain confused, with some claiming Ukrainian troops were still fighting inside Sudhza. However, Reuters quoted Skadovskyi Defender, a Ukrainian military blogger, who wrote on Telegram, “Ukraine’s Armed Forces are leaving Kursk. There will be no Ukrainian soldier there by Friday.”
Other reports have suggested that the Russian attack risked encircling thousands of Ukrainian troops.
A propaganda victory
Speaking to TVP World, Milan Lelich, a political analyst and deputy editor for RBC-Ukraine, said: “What is clear is that really the Russians do have advances in the Kursk region because there is enough footage that has already been proven as not fake that the Russians at least partially control the city of Sudhza itself.”
He added: “But for me, it is unclear if they will be able to really so swiftly push our forces out of the entire region fully.”
According to Lelich, Russia’s military gains have come at an “enormous price” - one which Ukraine simply cannot afford: “Our side really tries to save as many lives of the soldiers as it is able to do because we cannot lose our soldiers at the same pace as the Russians do.”
Due to battlefield reporting restrictions, verifying the claims made by both sides in the conflict is difficult.
He added: “But for me, it is unclear if they will be able to really so swiftly push our forces out of the entire region fully.”
According to Lelich, Russia’s military gains have come at an “enormous price” - one which Ukraine simply cannot afford: “Our side really tries to save as many lives of the soldiers as it is able to do because we cannot lose our soldiers at the same pace as the Russians do.”
Due to battlefield reporting restrictions, verifying the claims made by both sides in the conflict is difficult.
Ukraine initially seized a swathe of Russian territory in the Kursk oblast in August in a lightning offensive, occupying 1,376 sq km. The salient has been steadily decreasing in the intervening months, with Russia throwing North Korean troops into action to recapture the Ukranian-occupied enclave.
On the weekend, Russia launched its latest offensive with claims that Russian special forces had crept through kilometers of gas pipeline to surprise Ukraine troops behind the lines in Sudhza.
Russian Telegram channels showed pictures of special forces in gas masks and lights as they made their way along the inside of what looked like a large pipe.
Lelich believes that capturing Sudhza would be used as a major propaganda victory for Putin and could be leveraged at any future peace negotiations.
“Definitely, it makes their position at this potential virtual table of negotiations stronger, obviously, because if you’re winning on the battlefield, this makes your position in negotiations stronger by definition,” said Lelich.
On the weekend, Russia launched its latest offensive with claims that Russian special forces had crept through kilometers of gas pipeline to surprise Ukraine troops behind the lines in Sudhza.
Russian Telegram channels showed pictures of special forces in gas masks and lights as they made their way along the inside of what looked like a large pipe.
Lelich believes that capturing Sudhza would be used as a major propaganda victory for Putin and could be leveraged at any future peace negotiations.
“Definitely, it makes their position at this potential virtual table of negotiations stronger, obviously, because if you’re winning on the battlefield, this makes your position in negotiations stronger by definition,” said Lelich.
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