Russia faces ‘difficult fight’ to retake Ukraine-held area, says top US spy

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to launch a counteroffensive to reclaim territory in the Kursk region that Ukrainian troops have captured, but Russian forces will likely face “a difficult fight,” Deputy CIA Director David Cohen said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a national security industry conference, Cohen noted that the impact of the Ukrainian advance, which has seized around 300 square miles (777 square km) of the Russian province, is still uncertain.

Ukrainian forces broke through Russia’s western border into the Kursk region on August 6 in a surprise offensive that continues to progress. Although Kyiv has stated it does not intend to annex the captured area, Ukrainian troops are establishing defensive lines, suggesting they plan to hold on to “some of that territory for some period of time,” Cohen said at the Intelligence and National Security Summit.

via Reuters