Ukrainian army commander refutes Putin's claims of Ukrainian troops being surrounded in Kursk Oblast

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi refuted Russian President Vladimir Putin's claims that Ukrainian troops are surrounded in Kursk Oblast, calling it disinformation that does not reflect the real situation.

Ukrainian forces continue to actively engage on the Kursk front, destroying the combat potential of the Russian forces for the third consecutive month, according to the general.

"Despite the fierce pressure from the enemy on this front, the occupiers are suffering significant losses in personnel and military equipment," Syrskyi stated.

On Thursday, during the BRICS summit, Putin claimed that Russian forces had allegedly surrounded about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers who are now "blocked" in Kursk Oblast. The Russian dictator also claimed that Ukrainian forces had supposedly lost around 26,000 personnel during operations in Kursk Oblast over the past month.

On October 12, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Kovalenko, reported that intense fighting was ongoing in Kursk Oblast. He noted that the situation on the front changes frequently and cautioned against drawing any final conclusions.

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian forces in Kursk Oblast were attempting to push back the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

On October 20, General Syrskyi reported that despite Russian attempts to seize the initiative in Kursk Oblast, the situation remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.