The Ukrainian troops fighting in the Russian region of Kursk are running out of time, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Saturday.
Peskov reiterated that Russia’s offer to spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk remains valid but warned it won’t last indefinitely.
Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to spare the Ukrainian soldiers at the request of US President Donald Trump, provided Kyiv ordered them to lay down their arms.
On Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry announced it had captured two new villages, Zaolshenko and Rubanshchina, located west of the city of Sudzha, which was retaken earlier this week.
The Ukrainian military released a map on Saturday that appears to confirm their troops have withdrawn from Sudzha.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the situation in Kursk on Friday as “clearly very difficult.”
Sudzha was the most significant location in Kursk that Ukrainians had captured during their surprise offensive on Russian territory, gaining more than 1,000 square kilometres. Russia, supported by North Korean soldiers, fought fiercely for months to reclaim the area.
