Russian troops target key road along state border in Kursk Oblast to cut Ukrainian supply lines
Russian assault units are trying to break through and advance toward the highway linking Yunakivka in Ukraine to Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, a source on the front line speaking to hromadske, and Ukrainska Pravda.
Kovalenko said heavy fighting continues along the Sumy Oblast border, with Ukraine’s Defense Forces inflicting significant losses on Russian troops.
A source told hromadske that Russians are attempting to wedge into Ukrainian defenses and reach the border but haven’t fully succeeded yet. Ukrainian paratroopers are working to reclaim lost positions.
The source noted that Russians exploit the terrain — elevation changes and dense forests — to infiltrate.
A source from a Ukrainian unit in Kursk Oblast told Ukrainska Pravda that Russian forces broke through a defense line south of Sudzha. The Defense Forces are trying to stabilize the front to keep supply routes open.
“It wasn’t sudden but gradual and planned. Before New Year’s, Russians took Kurylivka (a village south of Sudzha -ed.) after one of our brigades abandoned positions. They built up forces and launched systematic assaults. Yesterday and the day before (March 6 and 5), they made a push — here’s the result,” the source said.
The military analysis project DeepState wrote on March 7 that Russia’s gains in Kursk Oblast stem from deploying large numbers of North Korean troops.
Earlier, the Russian Telegram channel Mash reported that Russian forces aim to control the “lifeline” — the only paved road between Yunakivka and Sudzha — to disrupt Ukrainian military logistics.
Kovalenko confirmed that Russians are attempting infantry assaults along the Sumy Oblast border without vehicle columns.
Days ago, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said Russian invasion forces were trying to breach the Sumy Oblast border to sever Ukrainian supply lines.