Russian forces have ramped up attacks on Ukraine’s logistic networks in Kursk Oblast, further hampering the Ukrainian effort to hold on to the Russian territory it controls ahead of potential peace talks,

Russian forces have taken back more than 800 square km (309 square miles) of territory from Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia, or about 64% of the total taken by Ukraine since an incursion began last year,

According to Sergei Rudsky, a senior Russian General Staff official, Ukrainian soldiers are in control of about 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) out of 1,268 square kilometers (490 square miles) initially seized by Kyiv.

President Vladimir Putin told Russian media on Feb. 18 that Russian forces had crossed into Ukrainian territory from Kursk Oblast, a claim General Staff spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovyi has dismissed as part of a disinformation campaign.

On Monday, Russian officials claimed that a deal had been struck with Ukraine to relocate civilians from the Kursk region, which has been partially o