Russia reportedly enters Ukraine-held Sudzha in Kursk Oblast; Kyiv hasn't confirmed

Russian troops have launched an offensive on the Ukrainian-controlled town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk Oblast, entering the settlement, the DeepState monitoring group, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), and the Russian state news agency TASS claimed on March 12.

Fighting in the town is reportedly ongoing.

The news follows multiple claims of a rapid Russian advance against the Ukrainian salient in the Russian border region, which Kyiv sought to leverage in potential peace talks.

According to DeepState, Russian forces have entered the eastern part of Sudzha and are entrenching their positions. TASS published purported drone footage of the town, claiming Russian troops had entered the town center.

ISW analysts reported that Russian troops continue to advance within Sudzha itself, as well as north of the town near the settlements of Kazachya Loknya, Yuzhny, Kubatkino, and Ivashkovskyi, and along the border in Ukraine's Sumy Oblast.

The claims could not be immediately verified. The Kyiv Independent has contacted the Ukrainian military command in Kursk Oblast for comment and has been promised an official statement later.

Sudzha is located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Ukrainian border, with the regional capital, Kursk, lying 85 kilometers (53 miles) to the northeast.

On March 11, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its forces had recaptured 12 settlements and 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) in Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said there is no immediate threat of encirclement as Ukrainian forces are repositioning to "favorable defense lines." Syrskyi also noted that some of the settlements Russia claims to have recaptured "no longer exist" due to Russian shelling.

Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, initially seizing around 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory.

Russian forces in the region have since been reinforced by North Korean troops, deployed last fall to counter Ukraine's operations.

Concerns about the situation in Kursk Oblast have grown amid reports of Russian advances after the U.S. paused military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv last week. The support was resumed on March 11 after Ukraine agreed to the U.S.'s proposal for a temporary ceasefire.