The Ukrainian General Staff’s post on Telegram on Sunday revealed battlefield maps confirming Ukrainian troops’ complete withdrawal from Sudzha, a strategic town in Kursk region, and one of the last Ukrainian-held areas on Russian soil, following days of speculation about Ukrainian troop movements.
The timing of the withdrawal remains unclear. In the same post, the Ukrainian General Staff also reported that 19 combat clashes took place in the Kursk region. Russian forces launched 34 airstrikes, dropping 63 guided bombs and conducting 243 artillery strikes, including five MLRS attacks.
Despite pulling back its troops, Ukraine claimed Russian forces suffered heavy losses in recent days, including 1,400 personnel, 10 tanks, 20 armored fighting vehicles, 78 artillery systems, two MLRS units, one air defense system, 180 UAVs, and 113 military transport vehicles.
The recent development in the ongoing war follows a prolonged Russian offensive that steadily reduced Ukraine’s hold on Kursk Oblast.
Last week, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it had retaken Sudzha. The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported the recapture of twelve settlements and over 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles) of territory. Among the recaptured settlements were Agronom, Bogdanovka, Bondarevka, Dmitryukov, Zazulevka, Ivashkovsky, Kolmakov, Kubatkin, Martynovka, Mikhailovka, Pravda, and Yuzhny.
According to Alexander Khinshtein, the acting governor of the Kursk region, Russian authorities have begun planning the reconstruction and development of areas recently recaptured from Ukrainian control.
He stated on Saturday that the priority tasks include clearing landmines and restoring the population to pre-conflict levels.
The exact amount of Russian territory still under Ukrainian control cannot be verified but Finnish-based Black Bird Group told the New York Times that Ukrainian forces now control only about 30 square miles (roughly 77 square kilometers) of Russian territory, down from a peak of 500 square miles last year.
