Russias Defense Ministry revealed Thursday that its soldiers gained back control over the town of Sudzha in the Kursk border area after 7 months under Ukrainian control.Units of the Sever group of forces freed the settlements of Melovoy, Podol and Sudzha during the offensive, the ministry said in a statement released on Telegram.Ukrainian forces at first took 1,376 square kilometers (531 square miles) of land in the Kursk area after releasing a surprise ground offensive in August.
Kyiv wanted to utilize the occupied territory as leverage in future peace negotiations with Russia.
Over the past week, Russian troops have actually brought out a fast counteroffensive and appear close to completely pressing Ukrainian forces out of the region.As of Thursday, the location under Ukrainian control had actually diminished to 140 square kilometers (54 square miles), according to DeepState, a battlefield tracker with ties to the Ukrainian military.Sudzha was the only major Kursk region settlement held by Ukrainian forces following their August offensive.Ukraines top military commander, Oleksandr Syrsky, stated Wednesday that battle was ongoing in Sudzhas borders, which he declared had been practically totally destroyed by Russian airstrikes.Syrsky added that Ukrainian forces would preserve their defenses in the staying parts of the Kursk region as long as its suitable and necessary.President Vladimir Putin went to the Kursk region on Wednesday, revealing confidence that his forces were on the brink of completely liberating the first Russian area to come under foreign profession since World War II.Later on Thursday, Russias Defense Ministry released footage of its soldiers in Sudzha after they retook the town.
The video shows badly damaged structures and ruins, in addition to burned-out cars and trucks and particles spread across the town.Meanwhile, more than 100 individuals formerly reported missing out on in and around Sudzha were left to safe locations, regional authorities said.Since yesterday and as of the early morning of March 13, 120 civilians who were under occupation have actually been secured of Sudzha, Acting Kursk area Governor Alexander Khinshtein composed on Telegram early Thursday.Around 90% of those evacuated had been listed as missing out on following Ukraines offensive, according to Yury Mezinov, an aide to Russias emergency situations minister.Authorities formerly reported that around 2,000 people had actually gone missing.Russias Emergency Situations Ministry released footage showing rescuers leaving citizens many of them elderly by bus.
The ministry said more than 90 evacuees had actually been positioned in momentary shelters.Governor Khinshtein stated evacuees were getting medical and mental health support, as well as help bring back lost or damaged files.
The work continues non-stop, he composed.