Have Russian troops entered Sudzha? What’s known about situation in Kursk Oblast
The situation on the Kursk front has escalated. Around noon on March 11, Russian propagandists published a photo allegedly showing a Russian fighter at the entrance to Sudzha.
The Russian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty identified the stele in the photo as located at the northeastern entrance to the city from Lomonosova Street. However, the outlet doesn’t know when or under what circumstances the image was taken.
hromadske investigated what’s happening in Kursk Oblast as of the evening of March 11.
Do Russian troops have fire control over the road to Sudzha?
The situation for the Ukrainian garrison in Sudzha worsened after Russians severed the flanks of the Kursk salient last week.
In the north, after capturing Sverdlikovo and pushing Ukrainian troops out of Nikolayevo-Daryino, Russians advanced toward the Ukrainian border in mid-February toward Novenke, initially seizing a forest near the state border and later houses in the village, where they managed to dig in, a soldier currently fighting on the Kursk front told us.
According to another fighter, Russians assaulted Basivka today, located farther from Novenke in Sumy Oblast. “Some groups were destroyed, some, unfortunately, got through.”
This allowed Russians to gain fire control over the Yunakivka-Sudzha road—the only paved route to the Russian town from Sumy Oblast.
Russian forces also split Ukrainian troops in Kursk Oblast, breaking through to Kurilovka. They exploited the terrain’s advantages—dense forest. Efforts to dislodge them failed. This cut off logistics for the Ukrainian grouping.
“The problem is FPV drones. We couldn’t deliver ammo, food—nothing. They blocked routes with FPV drones, and we could’ve been left with nothing. We decided to pull back bit by bit,” another soldier commented on the situation in Sudzha.
Russians didn’t just press the flanks—they also moved toward the town using a gas pipeline running through the region. This became known on March 8.
According to hromadske, about a company of Russians infiltrated toward Sudzha via the Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhhorod pipeline.
The Airborne Assault Troops assured that air reconnaissance spotted the enemy forces in time. Artillery, rockets, and drones were deployed against them. The airborne unit claimed it halted the Russian advance, but on March 11, Russians posted photos with a Russian flag in Sudzha.
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View in Telegram.Are Russian troops already in Sudzha?
Two hromadske sources in the Defense Forces confirmed on March 11 that Russians entered the city and forced Ukrainian forces to withdraw from Sudzha.
Meanwhile, the military-analytical project DeepState reported on March 11 that Russians advanced near the settlement of Mirny, on Sudzha’s northwestern outskirts.
Later that day, DeepState noted that Russian troops are fortifying and reinforcing their forces in Sudzha’s eastern part: “Defense Forces are taking up positions to counter Moscow’s pressure and stabilize the situation, but it’s extremely tough.”
At the same time, on the right flank near Guievo, Ukrainian troops managed to slow the onslaught slightly.
General Staff spokesperson Andriy Kovaliov, in a comment to hromadske, pointed to yesterday’s Facebook post by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, stating that the situation on the Sumy Oblast border with Russia’s Kursk Oblast remains under Ukrainian troop control.
Syrskyi also said that settlements in Sumy Oblast along the Russian border taken by Russians “effectively no longer exist.” He insists that Russian sabotage-reconnaissance groups and small infantry units breaking into Ukrainian territory are being eliminated.
“There’s currently no threat of our units in Kursk Oblast being encircled. Units are taking timely measures to maneuver to advantageous defensive lines,” the commander-in-chief added.
One hromadske source in a unit stationed on another section of the Kursk front, south of Sudzha, said they’re not being pulled from their positions yet.
Additionally, on March 9, it was reported that Russians in Kursk Oblast captured Martynovka, Malaya Loknia, and surrounding areas.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces previously stated that heavy fighting continues in Kursk Oblast. The situation remains challenging, but it’s under Ukrainian command’s control.