Russia said today that it has captured five villages near the town of Sudzha in Kursk region and is pleased with the “positive dynamics“ amid a retreat of the Ukrainian army in the region, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
Since August 2024, Ukraine has controlled a small part of this Russian region and hopes to use it as a bargaining chip in possible peace talks. However, in recent days, Ukrainian soldiers have been losing ground.
The Russian Defense Ministry said today that it has regained the villages of Kazachya Loknya, Perviy Knyazhiy, Vtoroyy Knyazhiy, Zamostye and Mirny. All of them are located around the town of Sudzha, the main Ukrainian position in the region.
Russian state media said Moscow's troops had entered the town, which would represent another major setback for Kiev, but this was not confirmed by Russian authorities, AFP noted. The announcement of the capture of the five villages comes a day after talks between Washington and Kiev in Saudi Arabia, during which Ukraine accepted a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.
Yesterday, the Russian army said it had retaken 12 settlements in the Kursk region and "more than 100 square kilometers" of territory, after further advances over the weekend.
At a press briefing, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "the dynamics are positive" in the area. Russian troops are "making successful progress in the Kursk region," Peskov said. Four workers at a feed factory were killed in a Ukrainian attack today, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, Alexander Khinshtein, said. Two others were wounded, one seriously. Alexander Khinshtein said the factory is located about fifteen kilometers from heavy fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian armies.