Russia says its forces will soon retake all of Kursk from Ukrainian troops

On Thursday, Russia stated that there was no question its troops would soon finish the mission of eliminating Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, where they have maintained a foothold for over seven months.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported that its troops were relentlessly attacking the remaining Ukrainian positions after seizing three additional settlements, including Sudzha, a town situated close to the Ukrainian border and along a road previously used by Kyiv to supply its forces. Ukraine’s chief military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated on Wednesday that Kyiv’s forces would persist in their operations in Kursk as necessary, and that clashes were ongoing in and around Sudzha.

Russian war reporter Yevgeny Poddubny, covering the situation from Sudzha, stated: “The town is under continuous fire from enemy artillery, yet concentrated resistance has been subdued.”

On August 6 last year, Ukraine delivered one of the war’s most significant surprises by crossing the border and seizing a portion of land that Kyiv intended to leverage in negotiations for peace. However, Russian forces, aided by soldiers from ally North Korea, have slowly regained the territory, launching what seems to be a final offensive as the U.S. seeks to persuade Moscow to accept a suggested ceasefire in the ongoing three-year conflict.

President Vladimir Putin, wearing military attire, visited Kursk on Wednesday and instructed his commanders to quickly complete the task.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov informed journalists on Thursday that Russian forces would use “as much time as needed to preserve the greatest number of lives among our military and civilians.” However, it is certain that the Kursk area will be freed in the near future.

Video from Sudzha, published by Russian media and military bloggers, showed scenes of devastation from the seven months of fighting, with burnt-out vehicles, roofless buildings and mountains of rubble. Regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said 120 Russian civilians had been rescued from the town and evacuated.