Russian forces have announced that they have regained control of Sudzha, a large city in Russia's western Kursk region. The news was announced by Russia's Defense Minister, A2 reports.
Moscow's troops reportedly recaptured two other villages, Melovoi and Podol, Russian officials said, Reuters quotes.
The recapture of Sudzha, home to a key gas terminal from Russia to Europe, is a significant gain for Russia as it fights to dislodge Ukrainian forces from their base in Kursk, over which they have been in conflict since last August. Russia has said it had no doubt its troops would soon complete the task of clearing Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region.
The top commander of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Wednesday that Kiev's troops will continue to operate in Kursk for as long as necessary and that fighting continues in and around Sudzha.
But Russia's forces, backed by troops from its ally North Korea, have gradually clawed back lost ground, mounting what appears to be a final push, just as the US tries to get Moscow to agree to a proposed ceasefire in the three-year war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday that Russian troops would take "as long as necessary to save the maximum number of lives of our servicemen and civilians. But there is no doubt that the Kursk region will be liberated quite quickly." (A2 Televizion)
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