The Russian forces have regained control of the city of Sudža in the Kursk region, which Ukraine occupied during the August offensive. However, fighting around the area is still ongoing.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that its forces were regained from the Ukrainian army under the control of the city of Sudža in the Russian Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops unexpectedly invaded in August. According to AFP and AP reports, TASR reports this.
The Ministry said in a statement that Russian troops “liberated” Sudža and two other villages in this area bordering Ukraine. On the telegram platform, it also posted a short video with a description of “the first shots from Sudža” that captures the destroyed buildings.
Ukraine has not yet commented on the situation, AP writes.
The notice of taking control of the largest city, which Ukraine occupied during its offensive in the Kursk region, came only shortly after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian operation aimed at pushing the Ukrainian forces from this Russian area entered the final phase.
Ukrainian forces unexpectedly invaded the Russian Kursk region in August and occupied approximately 1300 square kilometers in two weeks. In recent days, however, Ukraine in the area has lost several villages and under Russian pressure, its soldiers had to withdraw from several positions. Russia said on Wednesday that it was controlled by the city of Sudža, which was the center of Ukrainian units in the area for seven months, but DPA said on Thursday morning that fighting around the city continued.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with the head of the armed forces Valerij Gerasim, visited the soldiers in the Kursk region on Wednesday. “I rely on the fact that all the combat tasks that are facing our units will be fulfilled and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely free from the enemy,” Putin said in a television speech.
