Moscow (Agencies) – The Russian military has successfully dislodged the remaining Ukrainian forces from the town of Sudzha, the largest settlement taken by Kiev’s troops in their incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Thursday. Sudzha, with a population of around 5,000, had been under Kiev’s control since August 2024.
The nearby settlements of Melovoy and Podol have also been liberated, according to the ministry. In the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces fighting in the Kursk Region have lost more than 340 servicemen, two infantry fighting vehicles, three armored personnel carriers, and dozens of other pieces of hardware.
Ukraine launched an incursion into the Kursk Region on August 6 last year, marking the largest attack on internationally recognized Russian territory since the escalation of hostilities between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022. The Ukrainian advance, involving some 35,000 troops according to Moscow’s estimates, was swiftly halted, and the territory under Kiev’s control has steadily shrunk since then.
Over the past week, the Russian military has made rapid gains near Sudzha, located 9km from the border with Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced the liberation of 12 villages in the Kursk Region to the north, east, and southeast of the town.
Reports of intense fighting, a dramatic raid through a disused pipeline, and a Ukrainian retreat emerged from the town earlier this week. On Wednesday, videos were published by Telegram channels showing troops unfolding a Russian flag in the town’s main square.
According to the latest data from the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Kiev’s losses in the eight months since the launch of its incursion total over 67,100 servicemen killed or injured, 392 tanks, 316 infantry fighting vehicles, 278 armored personnel carriers, and hundreds of other pieces of equipment, including 13 US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.