Bild: Ukraine is close to creating pocket for 3,000 Russian soldiers in Kursk Region

Ukraine is close to creating a pocket for 3,000 Russian soldiers in the Kursk Region, German newspaper Bild reports. 

On 16 August, Ukrainian troops began blowing up bridges across the Seim River in the north of the Hlushkivskyy district of Kursk Region. This could cut off the Russian Armed Forces group, as the area is surrounded by Ukrainian territory from the west and south. 

In response, Russia will organise pontoon crossings and an air bridge, as well as defend the remaining passage in the east. The day before, the Ukrainian Armed Forces seized the villages of Snahost and Apanasovka. They are now 5 km away from the Seim River and the pocket shutdown.

According to Ukrainian data, between 2,000 and 3,000 Russian soldiers remain inside the pocket. According to Julian Repke, an open data analyst at BILD, the state border between Russia and Ukraine in the south and west of the pocket is prepared for defence. However, it will be difficult for Russians to defend themselves if the Ukrainian Armed Forces advance from the east. In addition, in the west, Ukrainians have already crossed the border and taken control of a small section of Russian territory of 15 square kilometres to the Seim River. The village of Otruba is located there.

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‘The Russians now have a simple choice: either to fight and defend this territory or to retreat. Obviously, both options are fatal for them. But we must be clear that this battle is not decisive. Because we don't know how many forces are left in Ukraine,’ Repke said.