Ukraine has lost 40% of Russia's Kursk region, military source says

KYIV, UKRAINE — 

Ukraine has mislaid much than 40% of the territory successful Russia's Kursk portion that it rapidly seized successful a astonishment incursion successful August arsenic Russian forces person mounted waves of counterassaults, a elder Ukrainian subject root said.

The source, who is connected Ukraine's General Staff, said Russia had deployed immoderate 59,000 troops to the Kursk portion since Kyiv's forces swept successful and precocious swiftly, catching Moscow unprepared 2½ years into its full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

"At most, we controlled astir 1,376 quadrate kilometers; now, of course, this territory is smaller. The force is expanding its counterattacks," the root said. "Now we power astir 800 quadrate kilometers. We volition clasp this territory for arsenic agelong arsenic is militarily appropriate."

The Kursk violative was the archetypal crushed penetration of Russia by a overseas powerfulness since World War II and caught Moscow unprepared.

With the thrust into Kursk, Kyiv aimed to stem Russian attacks successful eastbound and northeastern Ukraine, unit Russia to propulsion backmost forces gradually advancing successful the eastbound and springiness Kyiv other leverage successful immoderate bid negotiations.

But Russian forces are inactive steadily advancing successful Ukraine's eastbound Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian General Staff root reiterated that astir 11,000 North Korean troops had arrived successful the Kursk portion successful enactment of Russia, but that the bulk of their forces was inactive finalizing their training.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not instantly respond to a Reuters petition for remark connected Kyiv's freshest appraisal of the authorities of play successful the Kursk region. Reuters could not independently verify the figures oregon descriptions given. Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied the beingness of North Korean forces successful Kursk.

Ukraine's equipped forces main said connected November 11 that its beleaguered forces were not conscionable battling ace Russian reinforcements successful Kursk but besides scrambling to reenforce 2 besieged fronts successful eastbound Ukraine and bracing for an infantry battle successful the south.

Threatening Russian advance

The General Staff root said the Kurakhove portion was the astir threatening for Kyiv present arsenic Russian forces were advancing determination astatine 200 to 300 meters a time and had managed to interruption done successful immoderate areas with armored vehicles backed by anti-drone defenses.

The municipality of Kurakhove is simply a stepping chromatic toward the captious logistical hub of Pokrovsk successful the Donetsk region. Overall Russia has astir 575,000 troops warring successful Ukraine, the Ukrainian General Staff root said, and is aiming to summation its forces up to astir 690,000.

Russia does not disclose numbers progressive successful its fighting, and Reuters could not independently verify those figures.

Ukraine’s strategy

As Ukraine fights a bigger and better-equipped enemy, Kyiv has sought to disrupt Russian logistics and proviso chains by hitting Russian weapons and ammunition depots, airfields and different subject targets good wrong Russia.

Ukraine gained a freer manus to bash truthful earlier this period after, according to sources acquainted with the matter, U.S. President Joe Biden dropped his absorption to Kyiv firing U.S.-supplied missiles astatine targets heavy wrong Russia successful effect to North Korea's introduction into the war.

Last week Ukraine fired U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles into Russia. One of the ATACMS targets was an arms depot astir 110 kilometers wrong Russia.

Moscow vowed to respond to what it sees arsenic an escalation by Ukraine's Western supporters. On Thursday, Russia launched a caller medium-range ballistic rocket into the Ukrainian metropolis of Dnipro, successful a apt informing to NATO.

Ukrainian officials are holding talks with the United States and Britain regarding caller aerial defence systems susceptible of protecting Ukrainian cities and civilians from the caller longer-range aerial threats.

The Ukrainian General Staff root said the subject had besides implemented measures to bolster aerial defenses implicit the capital, Kyiv, and planned akin steps for the metropolis of Sumy successful the northbound and Kharkiv successful the northeast, some adjacent beforehand lines.

Russia present occupies a 5th of Ukraine, and President Vladimir Putin has said helium wants Kyiv to driblet ambitions to articulation the NATO subject confederation and retreat from 4 Ukrainian regions that helium partially holds, demands Kyiv has rejected arsenic tantamount to capitulation.