Ukraine's General Staff on March 14 denied claims that Ukrainian troops were encircled in Kursk Oblast amid Russia's ongoing offensive in the region.
The General Staff said that Russia had been reporting an alleged encirclement of Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast "for political purposes and to put pressure on Ukraine and its partners."
The statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said that his administration held "productive discussions" with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 13, during which he urged him to "spare" surrounded Ukrainian troops.
"At this very moment, thousands of Ukrainian troops are completely surrounded by the Russian military, and in a very bad and vulnerable position," Trump wrote, without providing any evidence.
Speaking on March 13 about a U.S.-backed 30-day ceasefire, Putin claimed that the ceasfire would be beneficial to Kyiv given the situation in Kursk Oblast. He did not rule out a "complete physical blockade" of Ukrainian troops.
"The units have regrouped, moved to more favorable defense lines and are completing their assigned tasks in Kursk Oblast," the General Staff said. "There is no threat of encirclement of our units."
"Our soldiers are repelling the enemy's offensive and inflicting effective fire damage from all types of weapons."
Moscow claimed on March 12 to have retaken over 86% of seized territories in the region, including a key town of Sudzha, captured by Ukrainian troops at the start of the Kursk incursion in August 2024.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi acknowledged on March 12 the "difficult situation" in the region but said that Ukraine will hold the defenses "as long as reasonable and necessary."
Ukraine launched the cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, initially seizing around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory. Since then, Russian forces, reinforced by North Korean troops, have steadily pushed back against Ukrainian forces.
Kate Tsurkan
