Ukraine’s increasingly desperate struggle to cling to part of Russia

Russia has confiscated several settlements in Kursk region and claims that his forces are closing on thousands of Ukrainian Troops fighting on Russian land, raising fears of a major turning field for Kyiv before Critical discussions in Saudi Arabia on monday.

It is assumed that Moscow has advanced through a use gas pipe to launch the surprise attack, moving almost 15 km undetected before hitting Ukrainian positions near Sudzha, according to pro-Moscow bloggers and Ukraine’s army.

Dramatic films circulated by Russian military bloggers show soldiers who were smoking cigarettes while crouching in the darkness inside the pipe – which was once used to transport Russian gases to Europe.

Ukrainian fears in Kursk

In response, Ukraine’s aerial assault forces launched video images that claim to show Kiev’s troops rejecting Russian forces with aerial attacks while leaving the pipe. “The Russian special forces are detected, blocked and destroyed. The enemy losses in the Sudzha area are very heavy, ”Ukraine said in a statement.

As the struggle continues in Sudzha, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that it has recaptured Kositsa’s settlements, Malaya Loknya and Cherkasskoye Porechchoye in Kursk.

These settlements were taken by Ukraine in an offensive surprise in August last year, drawing a symbolic blow to Moscow and forcing Russia to deviate the resources from the key lines in the east and south of Ukraine.

Since then, Russia has held about 50,000 troops to the north, including 12,000 North -Korean soldiers to strengthen their forces in the region.

Kyiv is increasingly worried that Moscow’s progress could divide the vital supply lines, leaving his forces in Kursk in danger of circle. The Institute for War Study, a US think tank, estimates that up to 30,000 Ukrainian troops are stationed in the region.

Tactical blow before Saudi Arabia discussions

With Russian forces pressing forward in what has been described as A “meat of meat” attackKyiv is facing pressure on the first line. Kursk’s potential loss would not only be a tactical blow, but it could weaken the position of Ukraine in any future peace negotiations.

Defense Analyst and History NATO, Peter Caddick-Adams said Paper I.: “Russia throws everything they have – the North -Korean and Russian troops alike. Putin does not care about victims and tries to overwhelm Ukraine with pure numbers. “

However, he has reduced Russia’s recent earnings, stating that, while Russian progress is made, it is not a “major tactical achievement”.

“These settlements that are captured are a little more than groups of houses. Russia exaggerates its progress to model the narrative that Ukraine loses – a message that resonates in both Moscow and Washington. “

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky is about to meet the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, in Riyadh, Monday, while his staff chief Andriy Yermak will lead a delegation to Washington to meet the US Secretary of Marco Rubio and other officials.

The absence of Zelensky in Washington is an increasing rupture with Donald Trump, which last week accused him of “gambling with the third World War.”

Against the backdrop of these tensions, the US reduced the exchange of information and military help back to Ukraine. There are also bigger concerns about the potential withdrawal of Elon Musk’s starlink satellite support, which is crucial for the War capabilities of the Dronne Kyiv.

Caddick-Adams has suggested that these developments signal a wider change in the American strategy. “Everything seems designed to accelerate the military collapse of Ukraine and push them to negotiations with Russia,” he said.