Ukrainian 🇺🇦 forces retreated from half of the territory they controlled in Kursk and are still leaving the territory east of Sudja after Russian 🇷🇺 infiltration
Russian forces are nearing both supply roads of Sudja, 7 months after they began counter-attacking.
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In september 2024, Russian army, after amassing around 50 000 soldiers in Kursk oblast, began counterattacking the 1 000 square kilometers of territory they lost in august 2024.
This was the first of numerous counterattacks.
In october and november, russian forces continued their counter-offensive, finally gaining ground north-west of Sudja in december, thanks to large infantry assaults by both russian and north korean soldiers (mixed units).
Finally, they liberated half of the occupied territory in january, mainly pushing north-west of Sudja, while ukrainian forces continued small scale offensive operations in the western and southern part of the territory.
In february, Ukraine still controlled 400 km2.
However, everything changed when after months of large scale assaults, russian forces reached the border and took controll of Sverdlikovo, 6km from the main supply road to Sudja city.
This week, russian forces crossed the Psel and reached the second supply road.
Russian VDV and special forces launched a surprising assault to bypass ukrainian positions inside an abandonned gazoduc between Martyonovka and Sudja.
A few videos akhnowledge their path in a 1.4 meter high tunnel.
Ukrainian forces saw the operation and bombed the gazoduc and the exit of this one, saying they killed more than 100 russian soldiers there.
On this video, we can see that still some soldiers managed to escape and take position north of Sudja.
This operation and the closing of supply lines forces the ukrainian armed forces to retreat from the territory west of the Psel river.
Russian forces put their flag in many villages and towns of the area.
Ukrainian infantry began a full scale retreat, facing losses in the process.
On this video, we can even see a column of ukrainian pick-up trucks and civilian vehicles used by the armed forces targeted in the central part of Sudja after retreating from the east bank of the river.
Russian forces are now proudly showing their flags in Malaya Loknya, one of the most disputed town of these last months.
Now, we can assume ukrainian forces will try to keep positions in Sudja, using the roads to get out at night.
Still, this operation should have been finished long ago.
Looking at the losses ratio, it is not even in favor of Russia. Too much ukrainian soldiers died for nothing, probably less than russian soldiers still, since we saw very large scale assaults being destroyed at the end of 2024.
Now, russian forces will try to enter Sumy oblast like they did in Vovchansk and Lyptski in Kharkiv oblast. This will force ukrainian troops to stay.
We will soon talk about the good and bad aspects of this operation and see if it was useful or not.
In the Donbass, it seems ukrainian forces are tacking back the advantage, pushing back the russians in Toretsk and south-west of Pokrovsk, while they continue a fast expansion of fortifications.
Clément Molin
