Ukrainian troops have almost completely withdrawn from Kursk region of Russia, completing the offensive that stunned the Kremlin last summer with its speed and audacity, writes BBC NEWS Ukraine with reference to the American publication New York Times.

"NYT especially emphasizes that the Russian successes and Ukrainian failures in Kursk region were greatly facilitated by the US pause in providing intelligence to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This pause fell on the critical days of the Russian army's offensive. Its journalists spoke with Ukrainian military personnel, who described an organized retreat in some places and a chaotic retreat in others," says the BBC NEWS Ukraine report.

The publication notes that in general, the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Kursk was caused by a combination of factors. Russian troops disrupted Ukraine's supply lines and began to cut off the exit routes. North Korean troops, which Moscow had attracted, also improved their combat capability. But in addition, at a crucial moment, they suspended US support, including the exchange of intelligence.

It is noted that the Ukrainian military says that they are trying to create strong defensive positions along the Russian side of the border. Andriy, a Ukrainian intelligence officer who fought near Kursk, put it more bluntly: "The Kursk operation is essentially over. Now we need to stabilize the situation."

By mid-February, Russian forces had moved within about 8 km of Ukraine’s main supply routes to Sudzha, allowing them to bombard the roads with swarms of drones—many of which were tethered to ultra-thin fiber-optic cables and therefore immune to electronic warfare. Russian drones also struck pre-installed explosives to destroy bridges and try to hinder the Ukrainian troops’ retreat, Ukrainian military officials said. The bridges were also attacked from aircraft. Ukraine’s hold on Kursk region was already in jeopardy when the Trump administration announced on March 3 that it was suspending military aid and intelligence sharing.

According to intelligence officer Andriy, the sudden loss of American intelligence data for precise targeting complicated the situation. Without it, the American-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems "fell silent." The pause in intelligence provision lasted for more than a week until March 11, and it coincided with the most critical days of the Russian offensive in Kursk. "We could not allow expensive missiles to be fired at the wrong target," Andriy explained to the NYT.

On March 8, Russian troops launched a surprise attack, sneaking behind Ukrainian positions through an abandoned gas pipeline. "The Russians outplayed us a little," Andriy also said. "There was a little panic."

Around the same time, Russian troops, with the participation of North Koreans, broke through Ukrainian lines south of the small village of Kurylivka, further limiting Kyiv’s ability to supply its troops. While Ukrainian troops retreated along designated defensive lines, Russian troops continued to advance towards Sudzha, and the pace of attacks increased.

According to analysts, given Russia’s position, evacuation by transport would have been an easy target for drones. In addition, the obstacles to the retreat were also created by destroyed military equipment that littered the roads. Therefore, a significant part of the withdrawal was carried out on foot. Some Ukrainian soldiers burned their own equipment so that it did not fall into Russian hands.

On March 10, some units were ordered to retreat from Sudzha, three Ukrainian soldiers and commanders said. "It was a mixture of organized and chaotic retreat," the NYT quotes one of the Ukrainian soldiers. "Various factors influenced the nature of the withdrawal: fatigue, good or bad orders from individual commanders, poor communication or well-established coordination."

However, despite the statements of Russian President Putin and President Trump, according to Ukrainian soldiers fighting near Kursk, and even some well-known Russian military bloggers, at no time did a large number of Ukrainian troops find themselves surrounded.

Three days later, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had regained full control of Sudzha.

While the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not directly say that Russia had captured Sudzha, on Sunday it released a map of the battlefield showing the city outside the territory that Ukrainians control in Kursk.

While Kyiv had hoped to use control of Russian soil as leverage in future talks to end the war, Putin now appears to be using the Ukrainian retreat to try to strengthen his position in talks with the Trump administration on a ceasefire, the NYT reports.

Now, Ukrainian military officials say, they are determined to stop the Russians from advancing on Sumy.