Ukraine’s presence in Russia’s Kursk region has deteriorated sharply, with the Russian advance threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining counter at a crucial time in the war. Military bloggers from both sides say Ukraine is on the back foot,

Efforts to eject Ukrainian forces from Russian territory accelerated after President Trump halted support for Kyiv.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are at risk of being encircled, open-source maps of the battlefield show.

Pro-Russian war blogger Two Majors said a major battle was under way for Sudzha and that Russian forces had surprised Ukrainian soldiers by entering the area via a gas pipeline.

Russian Defense Ministry further claims capture of 2 villages in Ukraine's Donetsk, Sumy regions - Anadolu Ajansı

Russian special forces spent several days in the pipelines, that were recently used to send gas to Europe, to target Ukrainian posts as the push to recapture Kursk continues, Moscow said

Some had spent several days in the pipe before surprising Ukrainian forces from the rear near Sudzha. Read more at straitstimes.com.

"Difficult battles continue in the border area of Sumy Oblast, Russian assault units are attempting to breakthrough and move toward a highway from Yunakivka to Sudzha in Kursk Oblast," said Andrii Kovalenko,