Ukraine is losing territory in Russia’s Kursk region
Russia has reduced Ukraine’s control of the Kursk region in recent days, reclaiming territory that Kiev had seized since its surprise incursion last August.
Kyiv has been losing ground on the front line in Ukraine for more than a year, but has seized Russian territory in the Kursk region that it sees as a bargaining chip in possible negotiations to end the war.
According to a Deepstate map, which is close to the Ukrainian army, confirmed that Moscow penetrated the Ukrainian defenses on March 6, south of the city of Sudzha, which is controlled by Kiev.
A map showed that Ukraine had lost at least partial control of a road leading to Sudzha, and had withdrawn its forces in recent days from territory west of the village of Sverdlykovo.
The Ukrainska Pravda news agency quoted a source in a military unit as saying on Friday that Russia was trying to cut off supply routes, and that Kiev was trying to stabilize the situation.
Military analyst Yan Matveyev said Thursday that the Russian military is pressing the Ukrainian army from the west and east, leaving Kyiv’s forces with only a narrow corridor to withdraw if necessary.
“The corridor has narrowed to 12-13 kilometers (seven to eight miles) in the remaining areas, the foothold is so narrow that the forces cannot find safe areas,” he wrote on Telegram.
“The Ukrainian leadership must make a decision to withdraw from the Kursk region, after the operation is over and to preserve its forces, or to hold out and risk losing everything,” he added.
“The logistical situation in the Kursk region is rapidly deteriorating and has become critical,” prominent Ukrainian activist Sergei Sternenko wrote on Thursday.
“The logistical routes to Sudzha are under complete control of enemy fire,” he said in a post on X, relaying information about army units in the area.
“Kiev can no longer withdraw its troops painlessly… It’s too late… It can’t supply them either,” according to Russian journalist and military correspondent Alexander Kots.
