Russia breaks through Ukrainian lines in Kursk
Russian forces have broken through Ukrainian lines, severing the Kursk offensive in two and threatening a major supply route.
Live maps of the front lines show major gains thought to have been made with the help of North Korean troops fighting for Moscow.
The only Ukrainian road into the town of Sudzha could now be in range of Russian first-person view drones, complicating Ukrainian efforts to hold the Kursk region and carry out a retreat if needed.
The move will put pressure on some 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers who are currently fighting inside Russia.
Ukraine seized parts of the Kursk region last summer in a surprise offensive that has given it considerable leverage in possible negotiations to end the war.
There are an estimated 10,000-12,000 Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region from around five brigades. They include elite Ukrainian units from the 95th Air Assault Brigade and the 115th Mechanized Brigade.
The Russian advance on the key road came shortly after the US halted intelligence sharing to Ukraine.
By limiting surveillance, the US will have allowed Russians to operate more freely behind lines and plan attacks without Ukrainian knowledge, experts believe.
A military intelligence officer in Kyiv told The Telegraph the freeze amounted to 'more or less a total blackout'.
It was initially reported the intelligence cuts only applied inside Russia, where Friday's assault took place.
The assault came as Donald Trump also banned private American companies and commercial services from providing satellite data for Ukraine, prompting aerospace company Maxar Technologies to cut off Ukraine's access to its satellite imagery.
Maxar is the main supplier of commercial satellite images to Ukraine, showing the movement of Russian troops, as well as the status of important operations, including those inside of Russia.
The intelligence cuts also affect Ukraine's ability to predict Russian missile and drone strikes.
On Friday, Russia also launched a 'massive missile and drone' strike on Ukrainian gas facilities, just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for a truce covering attacks on critical infrastructure.
Kharkiv, Slovyansk, Kramatorsk, Odesa and Ternopil were targeted as Russia launched missiles from the sea and air.
The operational command of Polish armed forces said it has scrambled fighter jets and put air defence systems on alert in response to Russia's strikes.
Yesterday, at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels, Mr Zelensky backed plans for a partial truce to stop air, sea and critical infrastructure attacks and test whether Putin is prepared to end his war on Ukraine.
Senior Ukrainian and US officials will discuss the plans, as well as a large-scale prisoner exchange between Kyiv and Moscow, at a meeting in Saudi Arabia next week.
Ukraine invaded the Kursk region in August of 2024, initially capturing around 1,300 square kilometres of Russian territory.
The offensive was intended to be used as a bargaining chip in potential peace talks, pushing Russia to agree to more equitable conditions.
The potentially devastating situation in Kursk follows Mr Trump's decision to cut off intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
Ukrainian soldiers told The Telegraph the end of the intelligence sharing was even more catastrophic given the recent end of US military aid.
'It is impacting the soldiers' morale,' said a 30-year-old medic serving in the Donetsk region.
'With everything Donald Trump has done, it feels like we are being abandoned.'
The medic fears the situation for Ukraine will deteriorate even further in the coming weeks due to improving conditions on the battlefield.
'Clearer and warmer weather conditions cause a higher intensity of fighting,' he said.
According to Ukraine's General Staff, Russian casualties in Kursk have reached nearly 40,000 over the course of six months of fighting, with more than 16,000 killed as of February.
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