Ukraine Faces Hefty Russian Pressure on Three Strategic Fronts

Amid escalating tensions, Ukraine battles against 50,000 Russian troops in the Kursk region while reinforcing besieged fronts and preparing for assaults in the south. President Putin demands Ukraine abandon NATO ambitions, while Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi highlights the pressures of a stretched front line amid strategic territorial gains.

Ukraine is grappling with intense battles against 50,000 Russian troops in the Kursk region, while also bolstering defenses on two besieged eastern fronts and preparing for impending assaults in the south.

The conflict stretches along a more than 1,000-km front line, testing Ukraine's outnumbered troops at a critical time following Donald Trump's U.S. election victory, which raises the prospect of potential negotiations with Russia.

Russia, occupying a fifth of Ukraine, demands Kyiv renounce NATO ambitions and withdraw from partially-held Ukrainian regions. General Oleksandr Syrskyi cited the Kursk operation relief from Russian pressures on vital eastern outposts, although its strategic rationale remains questioned among U.S. analysts.

(With inputs from agencies.)