Ukraine war latest: Russia, Iran and China aim to ‘deepen military trust’ with joint naval drills

What’s happening in Kursk? Russian forces appear to have made significant territorial gains in the Kursk region and might be close to forcing a full Ukrainian retreat in the region. Open source maps showed this week that Ukraine’s positions in Kursk have deteriorated sharply, with reports yesterday suggesting Ukrainians were nearly surrounded by Russians. Pro-Russian war bloggers said yesterday that Moscow’s forces had begun an assault on Sudzha, the main town in the region which Ukraine has held since launching its surprise offensive into Kursk last August. Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke says holding on to Sudzha is crucial…