Ukrainian soldiers disobeyed orders and retreated.

Ukrainian soldiers disobey orders and retreat; the Ukrainian president calls on Russia to withdraw its troops... these are some of the notable news items in the Russia-Ukraine conflict update on the morning of February 17th.

Russia launches a major offensive in Kursk, cutting off Ukrainian supply lines.

Recently, several Ukrainian military units attempted to break through the Russian encirclement from Makhnovka to reinforce Cherkasskaya Konopelka, but were intercepted by Russian drones.

Later, a Ukrainian special forces unit attempted to penetrate the Olekh forest to reach Cherkasskaya Konopelka, but failed. Because the Olekh forest is close to Makhnovka, Ukrainian troops could sneak into the forest relatively easily, but advancing deeper and breaking through proved very difficult.

Russia launches artillery barrage on Ukrainian positions. Source: Russian Ministry of Defense .

Meanwhile, according to the Telegram channel "Paratrooper's Diary," the Ukrainian army feared that after the defeat at Cherkasskaya Konopelka, Russia would launch an attack from multiple directions on the Sudzha region. Therefore, Ukraine launched an offensive in the Kurilovka region, deploying special forces to conduct five attacks within a single day.

However, all these attacks were repelled by the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade, resulting in the deaths of over 20 Ukrainian soldiers and the serious wounding of more than 20 others. Following this, the Russian army launched a counterattack, attempting to expand its control over Kurilovka, where fighting with Ukrainian forces continues.

In northwestern Sudzha, the Russian army launched a fierce offensive along a 17-kilometer-wide front line, from Nikolaevka to Sverdlikovo, then south to Alexandrovka, continuing to the Nikolski farm and finally to Viktorovka.

During the attack on the Nikolski farm, Russian drones discovered that the Ukrainian 47th Brigade had used the nearby Miratog camp as a temporary base. Russia then launched a barrage of rockets, completely destroying the area and killing up to 65 soldiers.

At Svyerdlikovo, Russian troops have completely crossed the Loknya River in the center of the village and advanced deep into the eastern bank, controlling approximately 80% of the village area. However, because the village is located near the border, Ukrainian forces still have a chance to counterattack. Currently, more than 500 Ukrainian soldiers are fighting near this area. Earlier, they attempted to cross the Loknya River to counterattack, but were met with heavy Russian firepower.

From the Yunakovka area to the Sudzha road, Russian drones carried out a large-scale attack, burning numerous military vehicles and blocking Ukrainian supply lines. The video shows many Ukrainian logistics transport vehicles destroyed. This is extremely bad news for the Ukrainian army, who intend to hold out in Kursk for an extended period.

Ukrainian soldiers disobeyed orders and withdrew from Kurakhove.

Speaking to The Times, a source within the Ukrainian military said the country's armed forces "are in shock." Skepticism has also emerged within the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Notably, according to the Russian news agency Ural News, just one day after the phone call between Trump and Putin, the elite 501st Marine Battalion of the Ukrainian Navy simultaneously withdrew from its combat positions in the Russian town of Sudzha (Kursk province) with losses reaching 50% of its combat personnel.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Russian army is making significant advances in Kursk. Continuous Russian troop movements have been observed near the Nikolayevo-Daryino area, and in the direction from Alexandria towards the Nikolskoye and Viktorovka areas.

Russian artillery intensifies attacks on Ukrainian positions. Source: Russian Ministry of Defense.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian newspaper Strana.ua quoted a Ukrainian soldier nicknamed Muchnoy as saying that Ukrainian troops stationed in the city of Kurakhove (Pokrovsk district, Donetsk province) had withdrawn.

These forces received orders from their superiors to hold their ground; however, due to the Russian army conducting a surprise attack from the north and south, a "fire pocket" formed, encircling the Ukrainian forces here and causing them heavy losses.

The visual control unit of the Ukrainian armed forces confirmed that some units are retreating westward towards Kurakhove without authorization. However, another Russian "fire pocket" is also forming there. Therefore, if Ukrainian forces do not completely withdraw, a large group of their troops could potentially be surrounded.

Ukrainian President calls on Russia to withdraw troops.

In a speech at the Munich Security Conference, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the Russian military had lost nearly 250,000 soldiers in its military operation in Ukraine.

Zelensky stated that Moscow had lost nearly 20,000 soldiers in battles in Russia's Kursk province. Ukraine launched a large-scale offensive on Kursk last August.

Initially, Ukraine controlled approximately 1,300 square kilometers in Russia's Kursk region; however, Kyiv's forces have since lost about half of that area. Despite this, Ukraine recently claimed to have advanced 2.5 kilometers in Kursk during a new offensive.

According to the Ukrainian leader, a total of more than 610,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded since February 24, 2022, when Moscow began its war in Ukraine.

President Zelensky's estimate of Russian losses coincides with statistics released by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russia has lost 856,660 troops in Ukraine since 2022.

In an interview with Newsmax published on February 15, President Zelensky stated that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory to positions it controlled before the military operation scheduled for February 2022.

President Zelensky declared that Ukraine would not accept the results of any negotiations that did not include Kyiv.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chien-su-nga-ukraine-sang-172-linh-ukraine-phan-lenh-rut-lui-374105.html