Ukrainian occupation of Kursk Oblast
During the Russo-Ukrainian War and Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine occupied parts of Russia's Kursk Oblast. It was the first time since World War II that Russian territory was occupied by a foreign military. Ukrainian forces occupied several settlements, including the town of Sudzha. The occupation was an outcome of the Ukrainian incursion of the Kursk Oblast that began on 6 August 2024.
Ukrainian occupation of Kursk Oblast | |
|---|---|
 Map showing the maximum claimed extent of Ukrainian occupation | |
| Occupied country |  Russia |
| Occupying power |  Ukraine |
| Ukrainian-installed occupation regime |
|
| 2024 Kursk offensive | 6 August 2024 |
| Administrative centre | Sudzha[1] |
| Largest settlement | Sudzha |
| Government | |
| • Military Commandant | Eduard Moskaliov |
History
On 15 August 2024, Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi announced the establishment of a military administration in occupied parts of Kursk Oblast to be headed by major general Eduard Moskaliov, who would hold the title of military commandant.[1][2] He said that 82 settlements in the oblast were under Ukrainian control.[3] Ukraine said it was "not interested" in permanently annexing Russian territory.[4] On 19 August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces were in control over 92 settlements in Kursk Oblast and 1,250 square kilometers of Russian territory.[5] On 3 September, Zelenskyy said in an interview that Ukraine is planning to "indefinitely" hold Kursk Oblast's seized territories, in an attempt to force Putin to the negotiating table.[6] By November 2024, Ukraine had lost control of more than 40% of the territory it initially occupied in the region.[7]
Activities
Ukraine has stated that the purpose of the military administration is to provide humanitarian aid to civilians, maintain public service and to keep law and order in territories controlled by the Ukrainian armed forces.[8][9][10] Ukrainian authorities plan to allow international humanitarian organizations to access the areas of Kursk Oblast that they control.[11]
Ukraine’s national postal service, Ukrposhta, is considering opening a branch in Sudzha if the safety of its staff can be guaranteed.[12][13]
On 16 August, journalists from Italy's RAI network and Ukraine's Hromadske network visited the Sudzha area and interviewed local residents.[14][15][16] The following day, the Ukrainian military allowed CNN to travel, with supervision, into Sudzha. CNN reported that Ukraine was giving food to Russian citizens who remained in the city.[17] Some Russian civilians in the territory under Ukrainian occupation have complained that they have been abandoned by the Russian government.[18]
A curfew between the hours of 17:00 and 10:00 was introduced in the Sudzha district by the military commandant's office on 23 August 2024.[19]
On 3 September, The Guardian reported that soldiers returning from Sudzha claimed to have taken "trophies", such as Russian flags and posters seized from official buildings and T-shirts featuring Vladimir Putin taken from stalls at Sudzha market, and jokingly told residents without power or mobile reception that Ukraine had captured Kursk city and that Moscow was next.[20]
Office holders
| No. | Name | Portrait | Position | Term of office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eduard Moskaliov | Military Commandant | 15 August 2024 | Present | |
Control of settlements
| Name | Pop. | District | Held by | As of | More information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belaya | 2,598 | Belovsky | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Bolshoye Soldatskoye | 2,681 | Bolshesoldatsky | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Glushkovo | 4,785 | Glushkovsky | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Korenevo | 6,119 | Korenevsky | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Kurchatov | 42,706 | none | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Kursk | 440,052 | none | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Lgov | 21,453 | none | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Malaya Loknya | 799 | Sudzhansky | 4 Sep 2024 | Captured by Contested by Likely captured by | |
| Rylsk | 15,069 | Rylsky | 6 Aug 2024 | ||
| Snagost | 494 | Korenevsky | 14 Sep 2024 | Contested by Likely fully recaptured by Contested by Likely captured by Contested by Claimed captured by Confirmed captured by | |
| Sudzha | 6,036 | Sudzhansky | 15 Aug 2024 | Contested by Claimed captured by | |
| Tyotkino | 3,852 | Glushkovsky | 6 Aug 2024 |
See also
Notes
References
- ^ a b "It Is Time to Adopt Important Legislative Things – Defense Legislative Package for Ukraine – Address by the President". president.gov.ua. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Harmash, Olena; Balmforth, Tom (15 August 2024). "Ukraine opens military office in occupied Kursk region, says it is still advancing". Reuters. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine forms military administration in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Malenko, Anastasiia; Balmforth, Tom; Dysa, Yuliia (13 August 2024). "Ukraine says it is still advancing in Russia's Kursk region, hints at 'next steps'". Reuters. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ Kateryna Denisova. "Ukraine in control of 92 settlements in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Zelensky claims". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
- ^ Denisova, Kateryna (3 September 2024). "Ukraine plans to 'indefinitely' hold Kursk Oblast's seized territories, Zelensky says". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine loses more than 40% of territory it seized in Russia's Kursk region". France 24. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
- ^ "Zelensky Confirms Capture of Sudzha in Kursk Region". Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine forms military administration in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says". The Kyiv Independent. Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine captures town of Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region as it says advance continues". Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "What does the town of Sudzha, which is controlled by the Ukrainian military, look like now? hromadske exclusive". hromadske.ua. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Ukraine's national postal service considers working in Russian Sudzha under certain conditions".
- ^ "Ukraine's National Postal Service is Ready to Open in Sudzha".
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "«Суджа була Сумської губернії»: росіяни в Курській області / Hromadske". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "Are the hostilities in Kursk Oblast just the beginning? Interview with military expert Mykhailo Samus". Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Walsh, Nick Paton (17 August 2024). "CNN gains access to Ukrainian-held Russian town" (News article and video). Sudzha, Russia: CNN. Archived from the original on 17 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
- ^ "In Kursk, Ukraine soldiers find disillusioned Russians and inexperienced troops". CBC. 22 August 2024. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ https://war.telegraf.com.ua/ukr/war-in-ukraine/2024-08-23/5868580-u-kurskiy-oblasti-zyavilasya-ukrainska-viyskova-komendatura-u-sudzhi-vvoditsya-komendantska-godina
- ^ Walker, Shaun (3 September 2024). "'It was all a blur': Ukraine's troops on their audacious incursion into Russia". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
"We tell them Ukrainian forces have taken the city of Kursk and are marching on Moscow, and it's time to learn Ukrainian," laughed one soldier who had recently been in the city. Soldiers rotate out of Sudzha with trophies – ranging from Russian flags and posters seized from official buildings to T-shirts featuring Vladimir Putin taken from stalls at Sudzha market – but say they are not inflicting the same terror that Russian occupiers wrought on Ukrainian towns.
- ^ "'Furious battles are underway': Kursk residents call on Putin for help after Ukrainian incursion". CNN. 8 August 2024.
- ^ a b Barros, George; Gasparyan, Davit; Bailey, Riley; Evans, Angelica; Mappes, Grace; Harward, Christina (9 August 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 9, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
Geolocated footage published on August 9 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced west of Novooleksandrivka and within Ivanivka (both east of Pokrovsk).
- ^ "Ukraine advances further into Russia's Kursk region - Ukrainian commander". BBC News. 16 August 2024.
- ^ Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 4, 2024: "Russian milbloggers also claimed that Russian forces withdrew from positions in Malaya Loknya (northwest of Sudzha), consistent with previous Russian claims that a small contingent of Russian forces had been attempting to hold positions within Malaya Loknya."
- ^ "Зона боевых действий в Курской области расширилась до 430 кв км". Агентство (in Russian). 8 August 2024. Archived from the original on 8 August 2024. Retrieved 8 August 2024.
- ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 12, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 11, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ Olena, Ivashkiv (19 August 2024). "DeepState confirms Ukraine captured 2 more settlements in Russia's Kursk Oblast". Ukrainska Pravda.
Ukraine's defence forces have captured Apanasovka, Snagost and Otruba and advanced into Olgovka in Russia's Kursk Oblast on 18 August.
- ^ Barros, George; Evans, Angelica; Wolkov, Nicole; Mappes, Grace; Zehrung, Haley; Hird, Karolina (11 September 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 11, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
Additional geolocated footage published on September 10 indicates that elements of the Russian 51st Airborne (VDV) Regiment (106th VDV Division) advanced north and northeast of Snagost (south of Korenevo) during a company-sized mechanized assault [...] Several Russian sources claimed that Russian forces fully seized Snagost, but ISW has not observed visual confirmation of these claims.
- ^ Barros, George; Evans, Angelica; Harward, Christina; Bailey, Riley; Zehrung, Haley; Gasparyan, Davit (13 September 2024). "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 13, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
Geolocated footage published on September 13 shows Russian forces operating in central Snagost (south of Korenevo), indicating that Russian forces recently seized the entirety of the settlement [...] Geolocated footage published on September 12 indicates that Russian forces recently advanced into northern Petropavlivka (east of Kupyansk).
- ^ Faulconbridge, Guy; Kelly, Lidia (7 August 2024). "Ukraine pierces Russian border, triggering fierce clashes". Reuters.
Ukraine struck back on Tuesday, and battles continued through the night into Wednesday as Ukrainian forces pushed to the northwest of the border town of Sudzha, 530 km (330 miles) southwest of Moscow, Russia's defence ministry said.
- ^ Kostenko, Maria; Danaher, Caitlin; Tanno, Sophie (15 August 2024). "Ukraine captures Russian town of Sudzha as Kyiv's forces advance, Zelensky says". CNN.
- ^ Méheut, Constant (15 August 2024). "Ukraine Captures Russian Town, Zelensky Says". The New York Times.