Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday, August 15 that his country’s troops had taken full control of Sudzha, the capital of Kursk and that it had set up a military headquarters there.
Sudzha is the administrative centre for the border area of Russia’s Kursk and would be the largest Russian town to fall under Ukraine’s control since the start of its cross-border incursion more than a week ago.
Zelensky’s announcement of a military command office in Sudzha, suggests that Ukraine might plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term.
He earlier said that Ukraine would be distributing humanitarian aid to Sudzha residents in need.
The surprise Ukrainian incursion has reframed the war and caused chaos in the Kursk region, leading to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities, and the capture of at least 100 Russian troops, according to Kyiv.
Zelensky has said one of the reasons for the incursion was to protect neighbouring Ukrainian regions.
“The more Russian military presence is destroyed in the border regions, the closer peace and real security will be for our state. The Russian state must be responsible for what it has done,” he said on Tuesday.
Russia has seen previous raids of its territory in the war, but the Kursk incursion is notable for its size, speed, the reported involvement of battle-hardened Ukrainian brigades, and the length of time they have stayed inside Russia. As many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops are involved, according to Western military analysts.
The occupation of Kursk by Ukraine is the first time foreign troops have invaded and held Russian territory since Nazi Germany did in World War II.
Although Russian military bloggers report that Russian reserves sent to the Kursk region have slowed Ukrainian advances, questions remain over whether the incursion might force Moscow to move troops to Kursk from front-line positions in eastern Ukraine, where they have made slow but steady advances this year.
White House national security spokesman, John Kirby said on Thursday that Russia had withdrawn some forces, including infantry units, from Ukraine and was shifting them to Kursk, but that the US did not know how many troops were involved.
As of Thursday, the Ukrainian military claimed to hold more than 80 towns and settlements in the Kursk region.
Russian military bloggers reported that Ukrainian small mechanised groups have continued to probe Russian defences. Satellite images on Thursday show that a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airbases damaged at least two hangars and other areas.
Kursk’s acting Governor Alexei Smirnov on Thursday ordered the evacuation of the Glushkovo region, about 45km (28 miles) northwest of Sudzha. The order suggests that Ukrainian forces were gradually advancing toward the area.