Russian Forces Reclaim Sudzha: A Strategic Shift in the Kursk Border Conflict

On Thursday, Russia’s Defense Ministry declared that its forces have reclaimed the town of Sudzha in the Kursk border area, which had been under Ukrainian control for the past seven months.

In a statement shared on Telegram, the ministry noted, «Units from the ‘Sever’ group have liberated the settlements of Melovoy, Podol, and Sudzha during the operation.»

Ukrainian troops had initially captured 1,376 square kilometers (531 square miles) of land in the Kursk area following a surprise ground offensive launched in August. Kyiv had intended to leverage the occupied territory in future peace discussions with Russia.

Nevertheless, Russian military units have executed a swift counteroffensive over the past week, seemingly nearing the complete expulsion of Ukrainian forces from the region.

As of Thursday, the area still held by Ukrainian troops had dwindled to 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), according to DeepState, a battlefield monitoring organization associated with the Ukrainian military.

Following Ukraine’s August advance, Sudzha was the only significant settlement in the Kursk region still controlled by Ukrainian forces.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s Chief Military Commander Oleksandr Syrsky stated that fighting was ongoing on the outskirts of Sudzha, which he claimed had been “almost entirely destroyed” by Russian air strikes.

Syrsky emphasized that Ukrainian forces would continue to defend the remaining areas of the Kursk region “as long as it is deemed appropriate and necessary.”

President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region on Wednesday, expressing optimism that his troops were on the verge of «fully liberating» the first Russian territory occupied by foreign forces since World War II.

Later that Thursday, the Defense Ministry of Russia shared videos of its soldiers in Sudzha following the town’s recapture. The footage depicted heavily damaged buildings, ruins, destroyed vehicles, and debris scattered throughout the area.

In related news, more than 100 individuals who had previously been reported missing in and around Sudzha were successfully evacuated to safer locations, according to regional officials.

«Since yesterday and up until the morning of March 13, 120 civilians who were under occupation have been evacuated from Sudzha,» Acting Governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, wrote on Telegram early Thursday.

Approximately 90% of those who were evacuated had been categorized as missing following Ukraine’s offensive, according to Yury Mezinov, an aide to Russia’s Minister of Emergency Situations.

Authorities had previously reported that around 2,000 individuals were unaccounted for.

The Emergency Situations Ministry of Russia released footage showing rescuers transporting residents, many of whom were elderly, by bus. The ministry indicated that over 90 evacuees had been accommodated in temporary shelters.

Governor Khinshtein stated that evacuees are receiving medical and psychological support, along with assistance in recovering lost or damaged identification documents. «The efforts are ongoing around the clock,» he noted.