“Not a pocket”: military observer Popovych on Russian troops' encirclement in Kursk region

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

“At present, a specific estimate of the number of Russian soldiers who are in an operational encirclement in the Kursk region is unknown. This is not a pocket or a physical encirclement - it is an operational encirclement. On the one hand, the Russians are limited by the Seim River. From the south, by the state border of Ukraine. From the east and west, the Russians are limited by the border of Ukraine and the territories already controlled by the Ukrainian army,” Popovych said.

According to the military observer, Russian troops can cross the Seim River and thus escape, but they need crossings. Currently, the bridges are destroyed or damaged, making it impossible to use them. Therefore, they are forced to build pontoon crossings, which are constantly being destroyed.

“Operational environment is a situation where logistics routes are under threat: they are either cut off or controlled by fire. We see that the logistics routes are controlled by fire. If the Russians can get out of this operational encirclement, they will replenish the exchange fund. And the territory controlled by the Ukrainian army will increase,” emphasized Popovych.

• On August 29, Russian forces managed to recapture the village of Korenovo in Kursk region.
• The Russian private military company Medvedi, allegedly affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry, is withdrawing from Burkina Faso due to the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive in the Kursk region.