(CLO) The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces recaptured three more residential areas in the Kursk region on Sunday, taking another major step toward encircling Ukrainian troops in this Russian territory after seven months of fighting.
The statement came after Russian bloggers reported that Russian special forces had crawled dozens of kilometers into a gas pipeline near the town of Sudzha to surprise Ukrainian forces.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the three settlements currently under Russian control – Malaya Lokhnya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa – are all located north of Sudzha. “The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue to crush Ukrainian military groups in the Kursk region,” the statement said.
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Video of Russian special forces moving through the pipeline in Kursk
Ukrainian troops seized about 1,300 square kilometers of Russia's Kursk region last August in an effort Kiev said was to gain a bargaining chip in future negotiations and force Russia to withdraw its troops from eastern Ukraine.
Russia has been pushing hard to regain control of the region with some success in recent days, with open-source maps on Friday showing Ukrainian forces in Kursk nearly surrounded by rapid Russian advances.
Russia is encircling and dividing (shown in white and red areas) the Ukrainian-occupied territories (yellow) in Russia's Kursk region. Map image: X
Yuri Podolyaka, a pro-Russian military blogger of Ukrainian origin, said Russian special forces crawled nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) inside the 1.5-meter-wide gas pipeline and remained inside the pipeline for days before suddenly attacking Ukrainian forces from behind near Sudzha.
Pro-Russian military blogger Two Majors also said a major battle was taking place in Sudzha and that Russian forces had surprised Ukrainian troops by entering the area through a gas pipeline.
Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, reposted photos on Telegram of special forces inside the gas pipeline. "I am surprised to see people who still think that Russia can lose," Alaudinov said.
Russian Telegram channels also broadcast footage of special forces wearing gas masks and turning on lights, as they moved inside what appeared to be a large pipe.
A statement from the Ukrainian military also confirmed Russian soldiers had used the pipeline to try to seize control, but said the Russians were quickly detected and attacked with rockets, artillery and drones.
The Ukrainian military General Staff said in a late afternoon report that its forces had repelled 15 Russian attacks in the Kursk region, with six armed clashes still ongoing. It also reported 12 Russian air strikes on its positions.
Recent Russian advances and President Donald Trump’s reversal of U.S. policy toward Ukraine have raised concerns that Ukraine is losing the war. The U.S. has now suspended military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Hoang Huy (according to TASS, RDM, Reuters)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/dac-nhiem-nga-bat-ngo-tan-cong-ukraine-tu-duong-ong-khi-dot-khep-chat-vong-vay-o-kursk-post337774.html
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