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.

Russian special forces walked inside a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and Russian war bloggers reported, as Moscow claimed fresh gains in its push to recapture parts of the border province that Kyiv seized in a shock offensive.

The Ukrainian front in the Russian province of Kursk is at risk of collapsing after days of intensive Russian assaults were aided by a Russian surprise attack through a gas pipeline. Seven months after Ukrainian forces seized roughly 386 square miles of Russian territory,