Russia Kiev emphasizes further military presence in Kursk
According to official statements, the Ukrainian military continues to hold positions in the western Russian region of Kursk even after withdrawing from the small town of Sudzha.
17.03.2025, 09:29
SDA
"We still have a significant number of (square) kilometers of enemy territory under control," Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerev told the US channel Fox News, which was broadcast on Sunday afternoon (US East Coast time). No Ukrainian units are currently encircled there, he said. "Statements about thousands of Ukrainian soldiers being encircled are therefore incorrect," he emphasized.
Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and his Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov had spoken of the alleged encirclement of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers after the Russian advance on Sudzha. On Friday, US President Donald Trump asked the Kremlin leader for leniency for these soldiers - Kiev has since repeatedly denied the encirclement.
Although Umyerev conceded the withdrawal to "more advantageous defensive positions", he also announced that Ukraine would continue to fight actively in the Kursk region - at least until a ceasefire is agreed. This would serve to prevent the advance of Russian troops into Ukrainian territory, he said.
Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine for over three years and occupies more than 100,000 square kilometers of its southern neighbor's territory, including Crimea. Last summer, the Ukrainian military carried the war into the aggressor's territory for the first time in a surprise counterattack and conquered a good 1,200 square kilometers in Kursk in western Russia. The Ukrainians have recently been pushed back massively. Maps from the General Staff in Kiev show that only small areas of Russian territory to the west and south of Sudzha are still under Ukrainian control.
