Ukrainian forces have seized control of the Russian town of Sudzha, more than a week after launching a cross-border offensive into Russia’s Kursk region.
According to CNN, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, confirmed this on Thursday.
Although Ukrainian troops have been present in Sudzha, located 105 kilometers southwest of the city of Kursk, since the previous Wednesday, this marks the first time the Ukrainian president has officially acknowledged their capture of the town.
The head of Ukraine’s military, Oleksandr Syrskyi, announced that Ukrainian forces have advanced 35 kilometers, 21.7 miles, through Russian defenses since the start of their surprise attack, claiming 1,150 square kilometers of territory and taking control of 82 settlements.
Syrskyi also noted that a military commandant’s office has been established in Sudzha “to maintain law and order and meet the priority needs of the population in the controlled territories.”
Sudzha’s proximity to a major Russian gas terminal, which supplies gas from Russia to Europe through Ukraine, has led to speculation that Kyiv may aim to disrupt a significant revenue source for Moscow.
Ukraine’s ground incursion has displaced tens of thousands of Russians and put Moscow on the defensive as it struggles to push back Kyiv’s advancing forces.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian drones targeted four Russian airfields in what was described as the largest such attack of the conflict.
Ukrainian security service source mentioned that the strikes focused on airbases in the Kursk and Voronezh regions in the southwest, as well as in Nizhny Novgorod, located east of Moscow.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed it had shot down 117 “aircraft-type” drones and intercepted four tactical missiles over Kursk and nearby regions.
Ukraine’s offensive, which represents a significant shift in its military strategy, marks the first time since World War II that foreign troops have entered Russian soil, dealing a considerable blow to the Kremlin’s prestige.
A Ukrainian military commander informed CNN on Wednesday that Russia has been compelled to redeploy reserves from critical battlegrounds in Ukraine and Russian-occupied Crimea in an effort to counter Kyiv’s advances.
