Russian troops continue to advance at high speed in Donetsk region, demonstrating that Russian military commanders continue to prioritize the offensive in eastern Ukraine - even despite Ukraine's successful incursion into the Kursk region.
As analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) note, Russian troops continue to carry out a tactical encirclement of Ukrainian troops southeast of Pokrovsk. In addition, according to the ISW, Russian troops probably captured the villages of Zhelanne and Orlivka.
The Ukrainian military says that Russian troops are not reducing their offensive operations in Donbass. Russia has begun moving parts of Ukraine to respond to the situation in the Kursk region, but the pattern of troop and equipment movement is a strong indicator that Russian military commanders continue to prioritize offensive operations in eastern Ukraine.
At the same time, the Ukrainian army continues to advance in the Kursk region, capturing dozens of settlements. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that his country's troops had established full control over the Russian city of Suja. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Russia had withdrawn some of its forces, including infantry units, from Ukraine and moved them to the Kursk region, but added that the US did not know how many troops were involved.