Latest: Ukrainian troops' logistics in Kursk Oblast destroyed, face risk of encirclement, sources say.
Russian forces have made a breakthrough south of the Ukrainian-held town of Sudzha, potentially threatening to cut off some of the Ukrainian positions in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Agentstvo and Ukrainska Pravda reported on March 7.
An undisclosed military source deployed in Kursk Oblast told the Ukrainska Pravda outlet that Russian forces have broken through Ukrainian defenses south of Sudzha and that the defenders are trying to stabilize the situation.
Ukrainian forces are trying to contain the Russian advance to prevent a partial or complete encirclement, the source claimed.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims. The spokesperson of the Ukrainian group of forces in Kursk Oblast declined to comment.
Russian forces have recently intensified efforts to break through to Sumy Oblast and cut off logistical routes of the Ukrainian salient in bordering Kursk Oblast. Kyiv has sought to maintain its position in the Russian border region as leverage for possible peace talks.
Moscow's troops have almost reached the Ukrainian border south of Ukrainian positions in Sudzha, meaning that at least some areas have been cut off from the main salient, the independent Russian outlet Agentstvo reported, citing an expert from the Conflict Intelligence Team.
"Difficult battles continue in the border area of Sumy Oblast; Russian assault units are attempting to break through and move toward a highway from Yunakivka (in Sumy Oblast) to Sudzha in Kursk Oblast," said Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
"The Defense Forces are fighting and dealing significant casualties to Russian troops," Kovalenko claimed, without confirming a Russian breakthrough.
Ukrainska Pravda's source claimed that the breakthrough occurred between March 5 and 6 and was the result of a gradual and systematic Russian campaign in the area.
The Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState seems to confirm a Russian advance, indicating a push deep into Ukrainian positions toward the Ukrainian state border in Sumy Oblast.
DeepState marked the village of Kurilovka, lying some 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of Sudzha, as a contested area as of March 6. The monitoring service reported further advances the following day.
The prominent Russian pro-war channel Tw Majors also reported on the advance, claiming that Moscow's troops have penetrated up to 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) deep into Ukrainian positions.
Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024. After six months of fighting in the region, Russian troops have regained control of about 64% of the territory in the region, the Russian military claimed.
Russian casualties have reached nearly 40,000 in Kursk Oblast, including over 16,000 killed, Ukraine's General Staff reported on Feb. 6. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said last November that the incursion thwarted Russia's plans to invade Sumy Oblast in an attempt to create a "buffer zone" in the region.
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