Russia has been pulling some troops out of Ukraine to respond to Kyiv's incursion into Russian territory, according to U.S. officials, showing signs that the surprise invasion of Kursk province last week has forced Moscow to shift its forces.
The assessment didn't determine how many troops were being moved or the significance of the Russian orders, but has backed Ukraine's claims that its incursion caused Russia to pull troops out of Ukraine, where it had held a clear advantage in equipment and manpower, reported The Wall Street Journal.
The Ukrainian forces, after launching the surprise attack last week, have advanced at least 20 miles into Russian territory.
Russia President Vladimir Putin has ordered his military troops to push Ukraine back across the border, but Russia has been struggling to repel the incursion.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy, Ukraine's top military commander, said his country's forces had taken control of 74 Russian towns and villages during the advance.
"There are battles across the front line," Syrskiy reported to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a video call aired online shows.
The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday claimed Ukraine's forces taking part in the operation have incurred heavy losses. Putin said the incursion was supported by Ukraine's allies in the West, led by the United States.
However, the Biden administration said Ukraine did not give it a warning about the incursion. One U.S. official commented Tuesday that Ukraine had been looking for ways to break through gaps in the Russian front lines and found a section in Kursk that was being defended loosely.
The Biden administration said it wasn't given warning about the operation. The official said Ukraine also was hoping to draw Russian troops out of Ukraine by crossing into Russia, which has been happening in the past day or two.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that Russia was sure that its lines could not be violated, but his country has shown that was not the case.
Russian aerial and artillery strikes had been launched against Ukraine from the Kursk region. The province was also being used to support Russia's incursion into the Ukrainian Kharkiv province.
Podolyak posted on X that Russian war infrastructure could be destroyed through ground operations, but also by using long-range Western missiles that have not yet been cleared for use in attacks on Russian territory.
Kyiv, though, is not interested in occupying territory in Russia, but in saving the lives of Ukrainians and protecting the country from Russian attacks, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tyhki told reporters.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Tuesday that the incursion has also proven that Ukrainians are "capable of achieving our goals in any situation — capable of defending our interests and our independence."
Zelenskyy said in his call with his military chief that hundreds of Russian conscripts surrendered after Ukrainian troops crossed over the border, and they could be exchanged for Ukrainians being held in Russia.
However, analysts are saying that Ukrainian forces will have trouble holding their ground in the invasion, with Russia regrouping and supply lines getting longer.
The incursion is also drawing Ukraine's troops away from the main front line in the eastern region of the country, causing concerns as Russian forces press toward Pokrovsk, a logistical hub.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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