Putin hails advances in Kursk during a rare visit, promising to fully liberate the region from Ukrainian forces soon.
Ukrainian troops appear on the point of losing their hard-won foothold inside Russia’s Kursk region as Moscow claims further advances there and military bloggers on both sides say Kyiv’s forces are withdrawing.
Ukraine sprang one of the biggest shocks of the war on August 6 last year by storming across the border and seizing territory inside Russia, boosting citizens’ morale and gaining a potential bargaining chip.
But after clinging for more than seven months to a gradually shrinking area, Ukraine has seen its position worsen sharply in the past week.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence on Wednesday reported the capture of five more villages, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “the dynamics are good”.
A video published by Russian bloggers and state media showed troops standing with a Russian tricolour flag on a square in the centre of Sudzha, a town near the Ukrainian border on a highway used by Ukraine as a supply route.
In his first visit to the region since Ukraine launched its shock counteroffensive, Russian President Vladimir Putin, dressed in army camouflage, hailed the recent gains and urged his troops on.
“I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy,” he said.
Minutes after footage of Putin’s remarks aired on Russian state TV, Ukraine’s army commander hinted his troops were pulling back to minimise losses.
“In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions,” commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii said in a Facebook post, in language typically used to describe a withdrawal.
He added, however: “Despite the increased pressure from the Russian/North Korean army, we will hold the defence in the Kursk region as long as it is appropriate and necessary.”
Active fighting continued in the outskirts of the town of Sudzha and around it, according to Syrskii.
The Russian advance on the battlefield comes as the United States says it wants Russia to agree “unconditionally” to a complete 30-day ceasefire – a plan Kyiv has endorsed.
The Kremlin said it was examining the US ceasefire proposal, but Putin has previously said he is not interested in a temporary truce and would rather have a full stop.