By Smartencyclopedia & Agencies

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday that Ukrainian forces have taken full control of the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region. This marks the largest Russian town to fall under Ukrainian control since the onset of Ukraine’s cross-border incursion over a week ago.

Sudzha, with a prewar population of approximately 5,000, serves as the administrative center for the border area of the Kursk region. Its capture is significant, as it is larger than any other town or settlement that Ukraine claims to have secured since the incursion began on August 6.

President Zelensky revealed that Ukraine’s military is establishing a command office in Sudzha, a move that signals either a potential long-term presence in the Kursk region or an intention to pressure Moscow. While Zelensky did not provide specific details about the office’s functions, he mentioned earlier plans to distribute humanitarian aid to Sudzha’s residents.

Russia has not yet officially responded to Zelensky’s claims. However, earlier on Thursday, the Russian defense ministry reported that its forces had blocked Ukrainian attempts to capture several other communities in the region.

The ongoing Ukrainian incursion has drastically altered the dynamics of the conflict, creating chaos in the Kursk region. Russian authorities have reported the evacuation of over 120,000 civilians, while Ukrainian sources claim to have captured at least 100 Russian troops.

Zelensky has stated that one of the objectives of the incursion is to protect neighboring 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,” Zelensky said earlier this week.

This incursion is notable not only for its size and speed but also for the involvement of well-trained Ukrainian brigades and the extended duration of their presence in Russia. Western military analysts estimate that up to 10,000 Ukrainian troops are participating, making it the first time foreign forces have occupied Russian territory since Nazi Germany during World War II.

While Russian military bloggers have reported that reinforcements sent to the Kursk region have slowed Ukrainian advances, concerns persist about whether this operation might force Moscow to relocate troops from the front lines in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces have been making slow but steady gains in that region throughout this year.

In contrast to Ukraine’s success in Kursk, officials in the eastern Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, with a prewar population of around 60,000, have urged civilians to evacuate as Russian troops close in, now just six miles from the city’s outskirts. The fall of Pokrovsk would further Russia’s goal of capturing the entire Donetsk region.

Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that Russia had withdrawn some troops from Ukraine to reinforce Kursk, though the extent of this redeployment remains unclear. A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, indicated that Russia has not yet moved a sufficient number of armored battalions or other combat units from Ukraine to Kursk to fully repel the Ukrainian forces.

When asked about the Pentagon’s stance on continued support for Ukraine in light of this new development, spokeswoman Sabrina Singh stated that the incursion does not affect what the U.S. is providing. However, she noted that the U.S. reserves the right to modify the types of support it offers as needed.

Russian military bloggers have reported that Ukrainian mechanized units continue to probe Russian defenses. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press on Thursday revealed damage from a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian airbases, including hits on hangars at Borisoglebsk Air Base. The full extent of the damage, including potential hits on aircraft, remains unclear.

As of Thursday, Ukrainian forces reportedly control more than 80 towns and settlements in the Kursk region. In response, Kursk’s acting Governor Alexei Smirnov has ordered the evacuation of the Glushkovo region, about 30 miles northwest of Sudzha, indicating that Ukrainian forces may be advancing toward that area.

Evacuees from Sudzha described their harrowing experiences fleeing the conflict. Tatyana Anikeyeva, speaking to Russian state television, recounted hiding in bushes and receiving aid from volunteers amid the constant sound of artillery. Many evacuees are now in long lines for food and supplies, with the atmosphere marked by anxiety and exhaustion.

In a further escalation, Russia declared a federal-level state of emergency in the Belgorod region, adjacent to Kursk. This follows a regional emergency declaration the previous day, indicating growing concerns about the deteriorating situation.

Ukraine’s military commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, claimed that Ukrainian forces had secured approximately 390 square miles of territory in the Kursk region, though these figures have not been independently verified. The fluid nature of the conflict in Kursk contrasts with the more static front lines in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces have struggled to make significant gains.

Russian officials have dismissed Ukraine’s claims of territorial control, characterizing the situation in Kursk as an incursion by “terrorist sabotage groups” rather than a conventional military front. Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, called the operation “absolutely reckless and mad,” asserting that it has not succeeded in drawing Russian troops away from the critical eastern front.

As the situation continues to develop, both sides remain locked in a tense and unpredictable struggle, with the potential for significant repercussions in the broader conflict.