Russia withdraws some troops from Ukraine to mainland side hit by sudden attack

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Russia is reported to have begun withdrawing some of the troops previously deployed on the Ukrainian battlefield in order to defend its mainland, which was suddenly attacked by Ukraine.

According to Yonhap News and foreign media, Russia has started pulling back some of the forces deployed on the Ukrainian front to repel Ukraine's offensive that struck the western Kursk region. Analysts interpret this as a situation where Russia, having been caught off guard by Ukraine's sudden incursion, is forced to change its battle plans.

Furthermore, Ukraine's movements are seen as cleverly forcing Russia into a defensive posture and creating a new front on a battlefield where Russia had previously held the advantage.

Dmytro Lykhovyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military, stated the previous day that Russia moved some units from southern regions such as Zaporizhzhia and Dnipro in Ukraine to Russia's Kursk Oblast and other areas. U.S. officials also said that Russia withdrew some infantry units from Ukraine and sent them to Kursk Oblast, which had been suddenly attacked on Russian soil.

Images have also captured Russia hastily digging trenches and establishing positions behind the front lines.

The British daily The Telegraph reported that satellite images confirmed Russian forces began constructing trenches far behind the front lines in Kursk Oblast. This was interpreted as indicating growing Russian concerns about the scale of Ukraine's attacks on Russian mainland.

Experts analyzing satellite images from U.S. satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies and others said trenches were found about 45 km north from the Ukrainian border.

Experts analyze that although Ukraine achieved rapid success in the early stages of its offensive on Russian mainland, its advance is gradually slowing down. Ukraine is requesting Western allies to allow the use of long-range missiles such as the British Storm Shadow to enable deeper attacks into Russian territory.