Ukraine is sending reinforcements to support its forces in Russia's Kursk region, the Ukrainian army's top commander said Monday, coming as the Russian military claims to be speeding up the advance of its counteroffensive in the border region."I made a decision to strengthen our grouping with the necessary forces and means, including electronic warfare and unmanned components,"General Oleksandr Syrsky wrote in a post on social media.Russia's military claims that it has made swift advances in the Kursk region over the past week, with troops reportedlycrawling through adefunct section of a pipeline that once carried Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine as part of a sneak attack.Likewise, the Defense Ministry said that it captured the village of Novenke in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy region, just a few kilometers from a key resupply route for Ukrainian forces still deployed in the Kursk region.Syrsky, however, said that the dynamics of fighting in the Kursk and Sumy regions were "under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces."Addressing concerns circulating in Ukrainian media that his forces may be encircled in Kursk, he said: "Currently, there is no threat of encirclement of our units in the Kursk region."He did concede, however, that Ukrainian forces were buckling under mounting Russian pressure and were having to fall back to positions that are easier to defend."The units are taking timely measures to maneuver to more favorable defense lines," Syrsky said.Ukraine hopes the territory it controls in the Kursk region will provide leverage in future peace negotiations with Russia.A Message from The Moscow Times:Dear readers,We are facing unprecedented challenges.
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