Russian Forces Achieve Significant Victory by Reclaiming Sudzha Amid Ongoing Conflict

On Thursday, the Ministry of Defense of Russia announced that its forces have regained control of Sudzha, a town in the Kursk border area, after it had been under Ukrainian occupation for seven months.

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

Ukrainian forces had initially captured 1,376 square kilometers (531 square miles) of territory in the Kursk region after launching a surprise ground assault in August. Kyiv aimed to use the seized land as a bargaining chip in future discussions with Russia regarding peace.

However, in the past week, Russian troops have mounted a swift counteroffensive and are reportedly on the verge of driving Ukrainian forces entirely out of the area. As of Thursday, Ukrainian-controlled territory had decreased to 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), according to DeepState, a battlefield monitoring organization affiliated with the Ukrainian military.

Sudzha was the last significant settlement in the Kursk region still held by Ukrainian forces following their offensive in August.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s top military leader, Oleksandr Syrsky, noted that fighting was continuing on the outskirts of Sudzha, which he claimed had suffered extensive damage from Russian airstrikes.

Syrsky emphasized that Ukrainian troops would continue to defend the remaining areas of the Kursk region «as long as it is deemed necessary and appropriate.»

President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region on Wednesday, expressing optimism that his forces were close to «completely liberating» the first Russian area to fall under foreign occupation since World War II.

Later that day, the Russian Defense Ministry released video footage showing its soldiers in Sudzha after reclaiming the town. The visuals depicted severely damaged buildings, ruins, burned-out vehicles, and debris strewn throughout the area.

In the meantime, regional authorities stated that over 100 individuals who had previously been reported missing in and around Sudzha had been safely evacuated. Acting Governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Khinshtein, reported on Telegram Thursday morning, «As of yesterday and this morning, 120 civilians who were under occupation have been evacuated from Sudzha.»

According to Yury Mezinov, an aide to Russia’s emergency situations minister, approximately 90% of those evacuated had been classified as missing following Ukraine’s offensive, with authorities previously estimating that around 2,000 people were unaccounted for.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia released footage of rescue teams helping to evacuate many residents—most of whom were elderly—by bus. The ministry indicated that over 90 evacuees have been placed in temporary accommodations.

Governor Khinshtein stated that those evacuated were receiving medical care and psychological support, along with assistance in replacing lost or damaged documents. «The work is ongoing without interruption,» he wrote.