Moscow/Kyiv: Russia has made significant territorial advances in the Kursk region over the past 24 hours, reclaiming five villages previously held by Ukrainian forces, according to the Russian military.
Moscow’s troops have also entered Sudzha, the largest town that had fallen under Kyiv’s control, where they are currently engaged in “assault operations”, the state-run TASS news agency reported.
Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kursk in August, but has steadily lost ground as Russia reinforces its positions with thousands of additional troops, including reported deployments of North Korean soldiers. Military analysts warn that Ukraine now faces the risk of losing control over the border region entirely, having ceded dozens of square kilometers of territory in just six days.
According to Russia’s defense ministry, its forces have “liberated the settlements of Kazachya Loknya, 1st Knyazhy, 2nd Knyazhy, Zamostye, and Mirny” in the Kursk region, all located on the outskirts of Sudzha.
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“The information provided by our military shows that our troops are successfully advancing in the Kursk Region, liberating areas that were under the control of the militants. The dynamic is good,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russian media outlets on Wednesday shared video footage purportedly showing Russian soldiers waving the national flag in the center of Sudzha, which Kyiv had seized shortly after launching its offensive.
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Kursk was among Kyiv’s few remaining bargaining chips in potential land exchanges with Russia, which has occupied approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory since annexing Crimea in 2014 and launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Meanwhile, in a village east of the contested region, a Ukrainian attack on an agricultural facility resulted in the deaths of four people, according to acting Kursk region governor Alexander Khinshtein.
