In a significant escalation, Russia has announced that it has successfully expelled Ukrainian forces from the strategic border town of Sudzha in the Kursk region, a move that brings President Vladimir Putin closer to his objective of completely dislodging Ukrainian forces from Russian territory.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the operation on Thursday, emphasizing that the town—home to a critical gas transportation hub—has now been secured. State media even broadcast footage showing Russian troops raising flags in the center of Sudzha, signaling their control.
According to Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, the Russian military has now pushed Ukrainian forces back from over 86% of the territory they had seized after a surprise incursion into Kursk in August.
In an unexpected visit by President Putin to the region on Wednesday, Gerasimov revealed that some Russian units had even crossed the border into Ukraine’s Sumy region, although these claims remain unverified.
As Russian forces make substantial gains, U.S. officials are set to arrive in Moscow later Thursday to encourage Putin to sign a 30-day ceasefire agreement, a deal that has been tentatively agreed upon by both Washington and Kyiv during talks in Jeddah earlier this week.
Should the Russians succeed in fully expelling Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region, it would represent a significant blow to Kyiv, which had hoped to leverage the territory it captured during the initial stages of the conflict as a bargaining chip in future peace negotiations, particularly under the potential mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Putin, showing his determination, visited the Kursk region in military fatigues on Wednesday to meet with senior officers. During the visit, he reaffirmed his call to “completely defeat the enemy entrenched in the Kursk region as soon as possible,” according to state-run Rossiya 24 TV.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s border service confirmed that Russian forces have intensified their attacks in the Sumy region, which borders Kursk.
Ukrainian Army Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi responded resolutely, stating that Ukrainian forces would continue to defend the region “for as long as necessary.” However, to protect lives, Syrskyi indicated that Ukrainian forces may strategically reposition to more advantageous positions when needed.
The territory under Ukrainian control in the Kursk region has been shrinking steadily since February, as indicated by data from the DeepState open-source map service. While Russia’s military initially struggled to push back Kyiv’s forces for several months, Moscow’s fortunes have improved recently, in part due to the addition of North Korean troops to the Russian ranks.
The Ukrainian incursion into Kursk, a region previously viewed as secure for Russia, served as a stark reminder of the consequences of the war Putin initiated in February 2022.
In the wake of Ukraine’s surprise border operations, Putin instructed defense officials that repelling the invasion was the “main objective.”
In contrast to Putin’s claims of annexing vast swathes of Ukrainian land, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently affirmed that Ukraine has no desire to control territory beyond its internationally recognized borders.
Zelensky has also highlighted that Ukraine’s actions in Kursk are aimed at preventing a broader Russian incursion into the neighboring Sumy region, a strategic buffer for Ukraine’s defense.
As both sides prepare for looming ceasefire discussions, the battle for Kursk remains a critical focal point in the ongoing conflict, with significant consequences for future negotiations and military strategy.
