Ukrainian forces appeared to be withdrawing from their last foothold in Russia's Kursk region on Wednesday, as Russian troops advanced and reclaimed the town of Sudzha, marking the collapse of Kyiv's cross-border incursion into Russian territory. Videos shared by Kremlin-affiliated military bloggers showed Russian soldiers raising the national flag in Sudzha's central square, while Moscow's defense ministry declared continued victories over Ukrainian forces in the region.
Ukraine had seized a portion of the Kursk region in August 2024 in a surprise operation aimed at boosting domestic morale and gaining leverage in potential peace negotiations. After months of holding onto the position under heavy Russian pressure, Ukraine's ability to maintain control of the territory has rapidly deteriorated in recent days.
A widely used battlefield map maintained by Ukrainian military observers, Deep State, updated on Wednesday to show that Kyiv's forces were no longer holding Sudzha. "Ukraine's Armed Forces are leaving Kursk. There will be no Ukrainian soldier there by Friday," military blogger Skadovskyi Defender wrote on Telegram. The Russian military claimed to have captured five additional settlements in the region, further tightening its grip.
Despite reports of a full retreat, Ukrainian officials pushed back on claims that their forces were surrounded. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Monday that there was "no threat of encirclement" and that Ukrainian units were maneuvering to more defensible positions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged the intense pressure in Kursk, stating, "Our troops in the Kursk region are carrying out their tasks. The Russians are trying to put maximum pressure on our troops. The military command [of Ukraine] is doing what it should do: saving the maximum number of lives of our soldiers."
Independent Russian war analyst Ruslan Leviev assessed that Ukraine's withdrawal was nearly complete. "Maybe this story will end today. Maybe they [the Ukrainians] will try to hold the border villages for another couple of days. But overall, the story of the Kursk bridgehead is coming to an end, and Ukrainian troops are leaving," he told TV Rain.
While Ukrainian forces were pulling back, they continued to launch strikes on Sudzha. The governor of Russia's Kursk region reported that four civilian employees at a local feed mill northeast of the town were killed in an attack on Wednesday.
The loss of the Kursk foothold marks a reversal of Ukraine's boldest cross-border operation since the war began. On August 6, 2024, Ukrainian troops stormed across the Russian border, capturing a slice of the Kursk region in a move that stunned Moscow. The incursion, which marked the first time a foreign force had occupied Russian territory since World War II, served as a psychological victory for Kyiv at a time when its forces were otherwise struggling to hold ground.
Since then, Russia has mounted a sustained effort to retake the territory, aided by what Ukrainian sources claim is support from North Korean troops. In recent weeks, Moscow's forces have accelerated their offensive, cutting off Ukrainian supply routes and forcing a retreat.
The battlefield shift comes as Ukraine and the United States explore the possibility of a temporary ceasefire. Kyiv has reportedly agreed to a U.S.-backed 30-day truce proposal, though the Kremlin has yet to respond officially, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating that Moscow needs to be briefed before commenting on its viability.
