Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed that Ukrainian forces have successfully captured the entire town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region, marking a major escalation in the ongoing conflict. The town, located just 10km from the Ukrainian border, fell to Ukrainian troops in a historic offensive, described as the biggest assault on Russian soil since World War II.
On August 6, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers crossed the border into Russia, quickly capturing dozens of settlements and capturing hundreds of Russian soldiers. Zelensky confirmed the success of the operation, stating today, Thursday, August 15: “General Syrsky reported the successful liberation of the city of Sudzha by Russian forces. An office of Ukrainian military commander is established there. Several other settlements have also been liberated. In total, over 80″.
The capture of Sudzha is particularly important because of its strategic location. The city houses the Sudzha gas metering station, the only route for transporting Russian natural gas to Europe through Ukraine.
In addition to capturing the city, Ukrainian forces have reportedly captured intact Russian T-80 and T-90M tanks in the wider area with images and video already seen. Despite these gains, heavy fighting continues east of Shuja, with Ukrainian forces advancing up to 4km further into Russian territory according to Russian sources.
Russian forces are making desperate efforts to regain lost ground. A British-made Ukrainian battle tank, Challenger 2, is also said to have been destroyed in the fighting.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian armed forces lost 340 soldiers during the day, and the total losses for the entire period of hostilities in the region now amount to about 2,640 soldiers. They also report that they managed to recapture the village of Krupets and Martynovka from the Ukrainian troops, which is located 18 kilometers from the border.
