Ukrainian forces have responded to Russian efforts to expel them from one part of Russian territory by launching a large number of attacks on another border area, using drones, artillery and troops. More than 20 villages in Russia’s Belgorod region – which are located in a 150-kilometer (90-mile) stretch of land along the Ukrainian border – have come under attack, according to the region’s governor, Vyacheslav Gladkov. The Ukrainian military has not officially acknowledged the operation. The assault by Ukrainian forces appears to be in response to their recent losses in the Russian region of Kursk, adjacent to Belgorod, where they seized more than 1,000 square kilometers last August. In recent weeks a fresh Russian offensive backed by North Korean troops has pushed them back to the border. Both Russia and Ukraine are looking for gains across the 1,000-kilometer frontline as the weather improves – and as the Trump administration…
