Russia claimed Thursday that its troops have driven the Ukrainian army out of the biggest town in Russia's Kursk border region. The Russian Defense Ministry's claim that it recaptured the town of Sudzha, hours after President Vladimir Putin visited his commanders in Kursk, couldn't be independently verified, per the AP. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Wednesday that Russian forces were in control of Sudzha.
Ukraine's top military head, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said late Wednesday that Russian aviation had carried out an unprecedented number of strikes on Kursk, and that Sudzha had been almost completely destroyed. He didn't comment on whether Ukraine still controlled the settlement but said it was "maneuvering [troops] to more advantageous lines." Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Dmytro Krasylnykov, commander of Ukraine's Northern Operational Command, which includes the Kursk region, was dismissed from his post, he told Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne on Wednesday. He said he wasn't given a reason for his dismissal, saying, "I'm guessing, but I don't want to talk about it yet."
Speaking to commanders on Wednesday, Putin said he expected the military "to completely free the Kursk region from the enemy in the nearest future," adding that "it's necessary to think about creating a security zone alongside the state border," in a signal that Moscow could try to expand its territorial gains by capturing parts of Ukraine's neighboring Sumy region. That idea could complicate a ceasefire deal, which Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, said would offer a "temporary break for the Ukrainian military." Ushakov added that Moscow wants a "long-term peaceful settlement that takes into account Moscow's interests and concerns."
story continues below
The Ukrainian army's foothold inside Russia has been under intense pressure for months from a renewed effort by Russian forces, backed by North Korean troops. Ukraine's daring incursion in August led to the first occupation of Russian soil by foreign troops since World War II. Ukraine launched the raid in a bid to counter the unceasingly glum news from the front lines, as well as draw Russian troops away from inside Ukraine and gain a bargaining chip in any peace talks. But the incursion didn't significantly change the dynamic of the war. More here. (More Russia stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
