Russian special forces spent several days in the pipelines, that were recently used to send gas to Europe, to target Ukrainian posts as the push to recapture Kursk continues, Moscow said

Russia said on Tuesday that its troops had retaken over 100 square kilometres (38.6 square miles) of territory and 12 settlements in its Kursk region as part of an offensive to force the Ukrainian army to flee from western Russia.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are at risk of being encircled, open-source maps of the battlefield show.

Russia made further advances in its campaign to recapture the Kursk region from Ukraine, seeking to encircle its forces as Kyiv prepared for talks in Saudi Arabia with U.S. officials on ending the war.

No threat of encirclement for Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says Russia attempting to gain foothold in Sumy Oblast, Border Guard warns Ukraine strikes Samara Oblast refinery producing fuel for Russian fighter jets,