Kursk, March 9 — Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev claimed on Sunday that Russian forces had nearly encircled Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. “The lid of the smoking cauldron is almost closed. The offensive continues,” he wrote on Telegram, according to Reuters.
Russian special forces reportedly infiltrated miles inside a gas pipeline before striking Ukrainian units from the rear near the town of Sudzha. The Associated Press reported that some troops had spent days inside the pipeline before launching the assault. Images circulating on Russian Telegram channels showed soldiers in gas masks and headlamps navigating what appeared to be a large pipe.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on Saturday that Russian “sabotage and assault groups” had used the pipeline to gain a foothold near Sudzha but claimed heavy Russian losses. “At present, Russian special forces are being detected, blocked, and destroyed. The enemy’s losses in Sudzha are very high,” the statement read.
Last August, Ukraine carried out its largest cross-border incursion into Russia since World War II, capturing 1,000 square kilometers of territory in Kursk, including Sudzha. Kyiv had hoped the offensive would force Moscow to divert troops from eastern Ukraine.
However, in recent weeks, Ukrainian troops in Kursk have faced mounting pressure as Russian forces regained ground, according to AFP.
