Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to troops in the western Kursk region on Wednesday, donning military fatigues and ordering forces to press forward with their advance to fully reclaim the area from Ukrainian control.
The visit came after Washington presented Moscow with a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has already agreed to. Meanwhile, Russian troops pushed deeper into the region, forcing Ukrainian units to retreat and cede control of Sudzha, a strategic border town.
Putin said Moscow was considering establishing a new security buffer in Ukraine’s Sumy region to prevent future incursions by Ukrainian forces. He also declared that foreign fighters captured in Kursk would not be granted Geneva Convention protections and that Ukrainian prisoners would be treated as "terrorists."
"Our task in the near future, in the shortest possible timeframe, is to decisively defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region and still fighting here," Putin said during his visit. "We must fully liberate the territory and restore security along the state border."
Russia's top military officer, General Valery Gerasimov, reported that 86% of the territory Ukraine seized in Kursk last year had been reclaimed, amounting to around 1,100 square kilometers. He added that Russian forces had retaken 24 settlements in the past five days, capturing over 400 Ukrainian troops in the process.
Ukrainian forces, which had crossed into Kursk in August last year in a surprise offensive, now face an increasingly untenable position, with major supply lines severed. Deep State, a Ukrainian military tracking site, confirmed that Russian troops had entered Sudzha but noted that fighting continued on the outskirts.
Ukraine's top military commander stated that troops would remain in Kursk "as long as necessary," but some military bloggers suggested that a full withdrawal was imminent. "There will be no Ukrainian soldier there by Friday," wrote the pro-Ukrainian Skadovskyi Defender channel.
Despite Russian gains, Ukraine has continued to strike back, launching drone and artillery attacks on Russian positions in Sudzha. Meanwhile, Kyiv has remained silent on whether it will accept the proposed ceasefire terms being offered to Moscow.
The Kremlin has yet to formally respond to the U.S. proposal, but senior Russian officials indicated any agreement would need to reflect Moscow’s battlefield gains and security demands.
The fighting in Kursk underscores the shifting momentum in the war and the challenges facing any potential peace deal. With both sides doubling down on their military strategies, the conflict remains poised at a critical juncture.
Azerbaijan is eyeing China as a key tourism market, following President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit earlier this year and a new visa‑exemption agre...
Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday, leaving at least 25 dead in Haiti and causing devastation across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bah...
The U.S. National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to form a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by ...
Spain held a state funeral on Wednesday to honor the 237 victims of the deadly Valencia floods that struck on October 29, 2024, the most catastrophic ...
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he has approved South Korea to build a nuclear-powered submarine, which will be constructed in the U...
Azerbaijan is eyeing China as a key tourism market, following President Ilham Aliyev’s state visit earlier this year and a new visa‑exemption agreement. A high‑level meeting on October 29 underscored the next phase in tourism cooperation between Azerbaijan and China.
Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday, leaving at least 25 dead in Haiti and causing devastation across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The Category 5 storm made history as the strongest hurricane to directly hit Jamaica, with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 kph).
The U.S. National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to form a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by the start of 2026, according to two U.S. officials speaking Wednesday.
Spain held a state funeral on Wednesday to honor the 237 victims of the deadly Valencia floods that struck on October 29, 2024, the most catastrophic flooding in Europe in more than five decades.
A small, silent object from another star is cutting through the Solar System. It’s real, not a film, and one scientist thinks it might be sending a message.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Hundreds of civilians were reportedly killed by the Rapid Support Forces at the main hospital in el-Fasher, days after the militia captured the Sudanese city, the head of the UN health agency said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that the most difficult situation on the front line remains the eastern city of Pokrovsk, where fighting continues to be most intense due to a strong concentration of Russian forces.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conducting inspections in Iran but has not visited the three sites that were bombed by the United States in June, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Wednesday.
Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday, leaving at least 25 dead in Haiti and causing devastation across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The Category 5 storm made history as the strongest hurricane to directly hit Jamaica, with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 kph).
The U.S. National Guard is planning to train hundreds of troops in each state to form a rapid-response force focused on civil disturbance missions by the start of 2026, according to two U.S. officials speaking Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment