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

Editor’s note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

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

According to DeepState, Russian forces have entered the eastern part of Sudzha and are entrenching their positions. Russian state media outlet 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.

Maxar reportedly restores Ukraine’s access to high-resolution satellite imagery

Ukraine has relied on such imagery for defense and strategic planning, including tracking Russian troop movements, assessing battlefield conditions, and monitoring damage to Russian infrastructure.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy