Five months after their shock offensive into Russia, Ukrainian troops are bloodied and demoralised by the rising risk of defeat in Kursk, a region some want to hold at all costs while others question the value of having gone in at all.

Exhausted and demoralised Ukrainian troops risk losing much of the territory in Russia's Kursk Oblast that they captured during a lightning-fast August offensive. Source: Associated Press, citing seven Ukrainian soldiers and commanders who spoke on condition of anonymity about the situation on the front line Details: The publication writes that a significant number of Ukrainian units are in a state of exhaustion.

Ukraine faces growing concerns as Russian forces continue to make near-daily advances, with Bloomberg reporting that U.S. officials believe Ukrainian troops could be pushed out of Kursk by next spring.