Russia has intensified its efforts to drive out the last Ukrainian soldiers from western Russia, including the Kursk region, where a seven-month conflict began in August 2022. The area under Ukrainian control has dwindled significantly, down to around 110 square kilometers, as Russian forces gain ground.
According to battlefield maps and reports, two pockets of Ukrainian forces remain on the Russian side of the border in Kursk. However, Russia claims it is clearing large numbers of mines in the area, suggesting that its troops are making progress.
Despite this, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has insisted that his troops are not surrounded and have sounded the alarm over a possible new Russian attack on the northeast Sumy region, which borders Kursk. U.S. President Donald Trump’s appeal for Russia to spare “surrounded” Ukrainian troops seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
Russian officials deny Ukraine’s claims of human rights abuses in the region, with Putin accusing Ukrainian troops of carrying out crimes against civilians. The conflict has already left hundreds of thousands dead and injured, displaced millions, and reduced towns to rubble.
The war has sparked a major escalation in tensions between Russia and the West, with the U.S. agreeing to resume military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. A proposed 30-day ceasefire has been met with skepticism by Putin, who insists that fighting can only be paused once certain conditions are met.
As the situation continues to unfold, it remains unclear what the future holds for Ukraine’s Kursk region or whether a lasting peace can be achieved in this long and bloody conflict.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-troops-battle-last-ukrainian-forces-kursk-region-2025-03-16