Sudzha

Russia claimed Saturday that a group of its forces captured the settlement of Kirove in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.

In a statement, the country's Defense Ministry said its Tsentr (Center) forces had captured Kirove, while other army groups had advanced along the frontline.

Russian and Ukrainian forces engaged in another night of reciprocal shelling. Ukrainian drones reportedly ignited several oil tanks in Russia's Rostov region, although it remains unclear if the "Glubokinskaya" oil depot was among the targets.

Ukraine’s advance into Russia may be entering a new phase after Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukrainian forces now control the city of Sudzha, the largest city in the Kursk region, located 10 kilometers within Russian territory.

Suddenly, this becomes significant because Sudzha is a critical transit point for natural gas flowing from Western Siberia to Europe via Ukraine.

Ukrainian serviceman ride atop a trophy tank after returning from Russia near the Russian-Ukrainian border in Sumy region, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024.

Ukraine has claimed fresh advances in its offensive into Russia, saying on Thursday it seized over 1,100 square kilometers in the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

It's one of the more improbable aspects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine: Even after 2 1/2 years of war and repeated rounds of sanctions, Russian natural gas keeps flowing through Ukraine's pipeline network to customers in Europe.

The Ukrainian military claims to have shot down a Russian fighter jet in Kursk, Russia, according to Ukrainian media reports. Kyiv also claims that since the start of operations on Russian soil, it has captured 100 prisoners of war.

Recent evidence indicates that the distributor of Russian gas to Europe located in Sudzha in Kursk Oblast is now under Ukrainian control. Ukrainian forces released a video confirming that the Gazprom strategic site is managed by the 99th mechanized battalion of the 61st independent steppe brigade.

Russian military correspondents are reporting that Ukrainian forces have taken control of a strategic gas pipeline in the Kursk region. This pipeline, which passes through the city of Sudzha, is crucial for Russia's gas supplies to Europe, according to UNIAN and Russian military sources.

Russia has called on the international community "to strongly condemn the Kyiv regime's criminal attacks on Russian territory," according to Russian Foreign Ministry press secretary Maria Zakharova.

On August 6, reports emerged of Ukrainian forces crossing into the Kursk Region, suggesting a significant incursion rather than a typical sabotage attempt. Throughout the day, armed groups reportedly broke through in several directions, sparking intense fighting in the border area.