Ukraine retreats from entire Kursk region, holding just small patch of land - NYT
Photo: The Ukrainian Armed Forces have probably retreated from almost all of Kursk region (Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces have likely retreated from nearly all of Russia’s Kursk region. Kyiv’s months-long campaign to seize and hold Russian territory appears to be coming to an end due to Moscow’s counterattacks, informs The New York Times.
At the height of the offensive, Ukrainian forces controlled approximately 500 square miles of Russian territory, according to The New York Times. However, by Sunday, they held only a narrow strip along the Russian-Ukrainian border covering about 30 square miles (roughly 77 square kilometers), said Pasi Paroinen, a military analyst with the Finland-based Black Bird Group.
"The end of the battle is coming," Paroinen told The New York Times.
The exact amount of Russian territory still under Ukrainian control cannot be independently verified. Soldiers report intense fighting in the region. However, under the pressure of a rapid Russian advance — backed by relentless airstrikes and drone attacks — Ukrainian forces have withdrawn over the past week. They pulled back from several villages in the Kursk region, as well as from Sudzha, the main town they had controlled.
Ukraine’s military command stated that troops have repositioned to more defensible locations along the Russian border, using the hilly terrain to better control advancing Russian forces.
According to The New York Times, on Saturday, Ukraine’s military released a battlefield map showing a small area of land still under Ukrainian control in the Kursk region. However, it remains unclear how long Ukrainian forces will be able to hold onto this territory.
Ukrainian soldiers say the fighting in the Kursk region is now focused on securing the best defensive positions. Their goal is to prevent Russian forces from advancing into Sumy and opening a new front in the war.
"While the Ukrainian retreat from most of the Kursk region has been quick, military experts said it came after months of Russian assaults and bombings that steadily eroded Ukraine’s foothold in the area and severed its supply routes, eventually forcing a withdrawal," the NYT states.
At the same time, military analysts note that the situation in the Kursk region has remained relatively orderly, unlike some previous Ukrainian withdrawals in other areas. Despite claims by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian forces have not been encircled.
Fighting in the Kursk region
The Defense Forces of Ukraine launched the Kursk operation on August 6. Ukrainian troops managed to take control of more than a hundred settlements in Russia’s border areas, creating a buffer zone.
According to Ukrainian military command, this was a preemptive measure to prevent a Russian offensive in northern Ukraine.
In February, Russian forces intensified their offensive to drive Ukraine’s military out of the Kursk region. The situation escalated in March, with Moscow claiming Ukrainian troops had been encircled. However, Ukraine’s General Staff and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied these claims.
On March 16, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that 19 combat engagements took place in the Kursk region over the past 24 hours. Russian forces carried out 34 airstrikes, dropped 63 guided bombs, and launched 243 artillery attacks, including five from multiple-launch rocket systems. According to military maps, the buffer zone controlled by Ukraine’s defense forces continues to shrink.
