Ukraine Air Assault ForcesRussian forces advanced further in their efforts to retake the Kursk region on Monday, threatening to encircle thousands of Ukrainian soldiers just as Kyiv prepared for talks with top U.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has stated that the situation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast remains under the control of Ukraine’s defence forces, though they require reinforcement with electronic warfare systems and drones.

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.