Ukraine’s presence in Russia’s Kursk region has deteriorated sharply, with the advance threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining counter at a crucial time in the war.

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia was storming the town of Sudzha on Sunday after special forces used a gas pipeline to surprise Ukrainian units as part of a major offensive to eject Ukrainian soldiers from the western Russian region of Kursk, pro-Russian war bloggers said.

Russian forces have reclaimed some Ukrainian-held territory in the Kursk Region, threatening a potential bargaining chip that Kyiv could take into potential peace talks with Moscow.

Released March 9, 2025Russia's defense ministry released this video on Sunday of what it said were drone strikes on a Ukrainian military column in Russia's Kursk region.Reuters was able to partially confirm the location of the video as Sudzha but could not independently verify the date it was recorded.

Russian special forces walked inside a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and Russian war bloggers reported.

Russia on Sunday announced it had captured territory in Ukraine's Sumy region for the first time since 2022 in a cross-border offensive, as Kyiv struggles to hold onto territory in Russia's neighbouring Kursk region.

Russia on Saturday said its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region in a fresh setback for Kyiv as the prospect of peace negotiations

Russia has intensified its attacks in Ukraine, reclaiming three villages in the Kursk region while launching deadly strikes across eastern Ukraine. At least 14 people were killed in overnight assaults.