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Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect comments made by the press service of the Kursk military command to the Kyiv Independent on the ongoing situation near Sudzha.
Russian and North Korean troops have launched an attack on the Ukrainian-held town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk Oblast, the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring group DeepState and Yury Butusov, chief editor of the news site censor.net, reported on March 8.
Multiple Russian pro-war Telegram channels claimed on March 8 that Russian troops have launched a large-scale offensive in Kursk Oblast and are storming Sudzha.
The press service for Kursk military command told the Kyiv Independent that "the most large-scale assault operations by the enemy have occurred in the direction from the settlement of Korenevo toward Sudzha, as well as in the areas of Novoivanivka, Mala Loknya, and south of the city of Sudzha."
"The situation remains difficult but is under the control of our command," the statement to the Kyiv Independent read, adding that Russian forces were sustaining "heavy losses" in the region.
"The enemy has deployed its most combat-ready units for these assaults," the statement added, noting that North Korean soldiers formed two of the battalions currently attacks the front line.
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.
Russian forces have destroyed Ukrainian troops' logistics in Kursk Oblast, and Ukrainian soldiers face the risk of encirclement, a Ukrainian soldier and a medic deployed in the region told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity on March 7.
Amid reports earlier this week that Russian troops are trying to break through the Russia-Ukraine border in Sumy Oblast, the statement denied the claims, adding that small reconnaisance groups infultrating Ukrainian territory "are gradually being eliminated."
Butusov wrote on Facebook on March 8 that Russian troops had used a gas pipeline to approach Ukrainian positions in Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. He added that the troops are being "liquidated."
DeepState confirmed that Russian troops had tried to attack Sudzha through a pipeline but reported that the results of the operation are unknown.
According to DeepState, North Korean troops are rapidly advancing near Sudzha, acting as the main offensive force and also bearing the heaviest casualties.
“The situation in the buffer zone in Kursk Oblast continues to intensify and requires immediate decisions from the (Ukrainian) command,” Butusov said.
Kyiv has sought to maintain its position in the Russian border region as leverage for possible peace talks.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
