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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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Russian forces crawled through miles of gas pipelines to carry out a fresh offensive in the Ukrainian-held Kursk town of Sudzha, according to Russian sources, as Moscow and Kyiv both claim successful operations in the border region.
Why It Matters
Kyiv's surprise incursion into Kursk, which borders Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, in August last year had given President Volodymyr Zelensky a potential bargaining chip in the U.S.-brokered peace negotiations now underway. Russia's inability to fully dislodge Ukraine, even with the help of thousands of North Korean troops, has likely been a sore spot for the Kremlin.
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Russia has been slowly peeling back Ukraine's remaining grip on Kursk, and upped its operations against Kyiv in the region in recent days, the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Saturday.
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What To Know
Ukraine's armed forces shared footage late on Saturday that it said showed its soldiers attacking elite Russian forces "moving along a gas pipeline branch in an attempt to gain a foothold" near Sudzha, about 6 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Moscow had said on Saturday that its troops had seized three settlements in Kursk, quickly followed on Sunday by a statement adding the Kursk village of Lebedevka, northwest of Sudzha.
Popular Ukrainian war-tracking blog, Deep State, also reported on Sunday that Russia had captured Lebedevka. Russian state news agency Tass reported that the seizure of the settlement brought Russian troops just over 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] from Sudzha.
Russia's influential community of military bloggers separately reported a Russian offensive in Kursk over the weekend.
One account reported Russian troops had often crawled through miles of pipeline tunnels, often sitting and "waiting for the command to storm for several more days." Images shared by pro-Kremlin channels purport to show the Russian soldiers inside the pipelines. Newsweek could not independently verify these photographs.
The ISW think tank noted on Saturday that sources on both sides of the conflict had started to report Russian attempts to bypass Ukrainian positions in Sudzha through an underground gas pipeline.
Another pro-war Russian account said on Sunday that Moscow had started an "offensive on several sections of the front," including between Sudzha and the settlement of Malaya Loknya, to the north.
The account claimed Ukraine's defenses around Sudzha were "falling apart," and that Russia had upped its drone strikes on Ukrainian troops.
Reports in recent weeks have suggested thousands of Ukrainian troops could be at risk of encirclement by Russian forces in Kursk as Moscow plowed on with efforts to destroy vital supply lines. Ukrainian newspaper the Kyiv Independent reported on Friday that Russian forces had ripped up Ukrainian logistics routes in Kursk, including bridges around the town.
What People Are Saying
Two Majors, one of Russia's high-profile military bloggers, said on Sunday that "in general, the resistance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces around Sudzha is falling apart."
Ukraine's General Staff said on Saturday that Russian forces around the pipeline close to Sudzha were "being detected, blocked and destroyed."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether Russia will be able to push Ukrainian troops entirely from Sudzha, and whether Kyiv will be forced to pull back to avoid being encircled by Moscow's forces.
Update 3/9/2025 at 9:05 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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