Ukraine's forces are considering a withdrawal from Kursk, with 10,000 Ukrainian troops at risk of encirclement after Russia broke through key defense lines and disrupted supply chains, The Telegraph reported on March 8.
The Telegraph's report comes as several recent media reports warn that Ukraine's occupation of Russian territory in Kursk is increasingly at risk of encirclement after Russian breakthroughs.
Ukrainian troops speaking on the condition of anonymity told the Kyiv Independent on March 7 that Russia had destroyed their supply chains for ammunition and food and they faced encirclement. One said the breakthrough happened in the last few days.
A source in President Volodymyr Zelensky's office told Time that operations in the Kursk region have been most affected by the recent halt in intelligence sharing from the United States.
The United States stopped its intelligence sharing on March 5 as U.S. President Donald Trump escalates his pressure on Ukraine ahead of expected peace talks.
A withdrawal ahead of peace talks would be a severe blow to Ukraine's bargaining position. Zelensky has said that Ukraine's occupation of Kursk is likely to play a crucial role in potential future negotiations.
According to the Telegraph, North Korean troops played an important role in the offensive that destroyed supply lines in Kursk.
Up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Kursk Oblast last fall to support Russian forces in countering a Ukrainian incursion launched in August 2024. After a January report that North Korean troops had pulled back, they were reportedly redeployed to Kursk last month.
Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, capturing around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) and marking the first foreign invasion of Russia since World War II. After six months of fighting in the region, Russian troops have regained control of about 64% of the territory in the region, the Russian military claimed.
Kateryna Denisova
(Updated: )
