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Ukraine finds it challenging to hold positions in Kursk region - The New York Times

Ukraine finds it challenging to hold positions in Kursk region - The New York Times Illustrative photo (RBC-Ukraine, Vitalii Nosach)

Ukrainian forces will find it challenging to hold positions in the Kursk region of Russia, which can be attacked from multiple directions. The duration of their hold will determine the number of troops Russia will need to redeploy from the front lines in Ukraine, reports The New York Times.

The New York Times cites the views of two experts: Major General Mick Ryan (ret.), a Senior Fellow for Military Studies in the Lowy Institute's International Security Program, and Serhii Kuzan, the chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, an independent research group.

They suggest that Kyiv will need to expand or hold its gains in western Russia long enough to compel Moscow to redeploy significant forces from the battlefield in Ukraine.

However, analysts believe it will be difficult to maintain a position that can be attacked from multiple directions. Kuzan highlighted the vulnerability of fixed Ukrainian positions to Russian airstrikes, noting that such a situation immediately prompts the use of aviation, guided bombs, and ballistic missiles.

At the same time, US officials say that Russia has withdrawn some infantry units from Ukraine to the Kursk region. However, they have not observed the Kremlin moving armored battalions, which the US believes will be necessary for Russia to counter the invasion.

Meanwhile, experts in Ukraine observe the redeployment of Russian forces from the Ukrainian front to the Kursk region in Russia.

For more details, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces are achieving a strategic goal in the Russian region. However, the president did not elaborate on what this goal entails.