Pro-Russian war blogger Two Majors said a major battle was under way for Sudzha and that Russian forces had surprised Ukrainian soldiers by entering the area via a gas pipeline.

A surprise Russian assault through a gas pipeline, along with a major offensive, is quickly making Ukraine's hold on Kursk untenable

Amid Russia’s rapid advance in its western Kursk region, Ukrainian troops have fully withdrawn from Sudzha — the only city they held there. Analysts say Ukraine is conducting an organized retreat and Russian forces are reclaiming territory with little to no resistance.

By Mark Trevelyan (Reuters) -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.

Ukrainian forces were forced to flee Kursk Oblast after Russian forces launched a counteroffensive to kick them out, Moscow claimed on Tuesday.

Ukraine is rushing more troops to hold the line in Kursk, and there is heavy fighting underway in Russia's region of Kursk, where Moscow's forces have been regaining ground, pushing out the Ukrainians.