Ukrainian forces have reportedly taken full control of the Russian town of Sudzha in the Kursk region, as confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. This development follows a cross-border incursion by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), launched over a week ago, during which 102 Russian soldiers were captured, the largest single capture of enemy troops by Ukraine since the start of the conflict.
⚡️Special forces of the Security Service of 🇺🇦Ukraine captured 102 🇷🇺Russian soldiers in the Kursk region pic.twitter.com/AWdzMhVQ91
— 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 (@front_ukrainian) August 15, 2024
Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that Ukrainian forces have advanced 35 kilometers into Russian defenses, seizing 1,150 square kilometers of territory and 82 settlements. The town of Sudzha, located 105 kilometers southwest of Kursk and with a prewar population of around 5,000, holds strategic importance due to its proximity to a Russian gas terminal that supplies gas from West Siberian fields to Europe.
Ukrainian officials have established a military commandant’s office in Sudzha to maintain order and meet the needs of the local population. The incursion has caused significant disruption within Russia, leading to the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents from the Kursk region. Kursk’s acting Governor Alexei Smirnov has ordered the evacuation of the Glushkovo region, about 45 kilometers northwest of Sudzha, as Ukrainian forces continue their advance. Over 120,000 residents have already been evacuated.
Italian journalists from TG1 have arrived in Sudzha, Kursk region, where they interviewed the locals who stayed. pic.twitter.com/1DxDToMEmw
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) August 15, 2024
Accompanying this ground incursion, Ukraine has launched a series of drone attacks targeting Russian air bases. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press revealed damage to hangars at Borisoglebsk Air Base and additional damage at Savasleika Air Base. Russia has been forced to pull reserves from key battlegrounds in Ukraine and Crimea to respond to the unexpected threat in Kursk.
The involvement of Russian conscript soldiers in this conflict has sparked renewed criticism. Many of the captured soldiers are young conscripts with minimal training, leading families in Russia to petition for their withdrawal from the front lines. The presence of conscripts, who were initially promised by President Vladimir Putin not to be involved in combat operations, has become increasingly controversial as the war continues.
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