AFU may withdraw from Kursk region by spring 2025 - Bloomberg
Ukrainian Armed Forces have already lost half of the seized territory in the Kursk region of the Russian Federation. By the beginning of spring 2025, the Ukrainian military may withdraw from the Kursk region, as they risk being surrounded.
This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to American officials, Censor.NET reports.
Bloomberg writes that Ukrainian forces have now lost about half of the territory seized in Russia's Kursk region and may lose the rest in a few months. This would potentially deprive Kyiv of an important leverage in ceasefire negotiations with Russia.
It is noted that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are already facing a shortage of manpower and uncertainty about the future flow of aid from the United States and other allies. In the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military is forced to confront not only the Russians but also about 12,000 North Korean troops.
"In the event of a more concerted effort by Moscow to drive Ukrainian troops out of Kursk, possibly as early as next month, Kyiv's forces would only be able to hold the ground until spring before being forced to withdraw - or risk being surrounded," the agency quoted US officials as saying.
One U.S. official said that Ukrainian forces have already managed to hold their ground in Kursk longer than some initial forecasts, in part due to the U.S. decision to allow Kyiv to launch long-range missiles into Russian territory.
Another official added that Ukraine's plans in Kursk were not to hold on to the territory, but rather to create a shock effect from the incursion and further reduce the capabilities of the Russian military. Thus, the withdrawal could still be portrayed as a tactical success.
The two officials expressed hope that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would order the Ukrainian Armed Forces to withdraw from Kursk region quickly enough to avoid heavy losses.
Earlier, The Washington Post wrote that Russia wants to return the Kursk region to negotiations.
