
MOSCOW, March 10 (Reuters) - Russian forces advanced further in Kursk region on Monday as part of a major encirclement operation aimed at forcing thousands of Ukrainian soldiers to either flee or surrender in western Russia, pro-Russian war bloggers said.
The Two Majors war blogger said Russian forces had cleared the settlement of Ivashkovsky and that Russian units were advancing on the so called "cauldron" in Kursk from at least seven directions.
Yuri Podolyaka, a Ukrainian-born, pro-Russian military blogger, said he was having trouble keeping up with events as the Russian advance was so swift and that Ukrainian units were trapped in several pockets in Kursk.
Russian forces on Sunday recaptured three more settlements in Kursk after special forces crept for miles through a gas pipeline near the town of Sudzha in an attempt to surprise Ukrainian forces.