As Russian troops are set to push Ukrainian soldiers out of Kursk Oblast, experts say Kyiv's withdrawal from the region could be "politically significant."

Ukraine's seven-month-long hold of a small portion of Russia's Kursk Oblast might be ending. On March 12, Russian troops entered the town of Sudzha, which served as Ukraine's main stronghold in the region.

Fearing encirclement, Ukrainian troops have begun to pull back closer to the border.

The news comes a day after Ukraine had agreed to the U.S. proposal for a 30-day-long ceasefire. The Kremlin said "it was studying the proposal."

"It feels like we're getting to a position where people are trying to settle the front lines in anticipation that we might have a set of negotiations," said Scott Lucas, a political scientist and professor of American Studies and International Politics at University College Dublin's Clinton Institute.

https://kyivindependent.com/losing-foothold-in-kursk-oblast-would-be-politicall y-significant-experts-say/

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* Origin: Ukraine News from various sources (2:263/1)