Russian state media and pro-war bloggers shared videos on Wednesday showing Russian troops raising flags in the town of Sudzha in the southwestern Kursk region. A Telegram channel linked to Russia’s Airborne Troops published a short aerial video showing soldiers unfurling a Russian flag alongside unit banners in Sudzha’s central square early

Russian forces have begun an assault on the town of Sudzha, the main population center in the Kursk region that was captured by Ukraine last year, a top Russian commander said on Tuesday. The advance puts Moscow on the verge of ending the first invasion of Russian territory since World War II.

Ukrainian troops appeared on the point of losing their hard-won foothold inside Russia's Kursk region on Wednesday as Moscow claimed further advances there and military bloggers on both sides said Kyiv's forces were withdrawing.