Ukrainian forces have suffered a severe blow in the ongoing conflict, facing a near-total collapse as they are driven out of Russia’s Kursk region. The sudden retreat follows a period of intense fighting marked by relentless Russian attacks using aircraft,

Russia's Security Council's Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev attends a meeting of the Council for Science and Education at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in the Moscow region's city of Dubna,

Russian forces have almost completely surrounded Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region, with some Ukrainian units forced to leave their vehicles behind as they pull back, according to a U.S. military official.

A Russian service member places a flag oh the roof of a house in a part of the Kursk region, which was recently retaken by Russia's armed forces in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, Russia, in this image released.

President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin both claimed that Ukrainian forces were surrounded. Ukraine’s top military commander vowed to “hold the line.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he will spare the lives of Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk region if they surrender.