Russia captures 3 new areas to oust Ukraine forces in Kursk

Russian special forces crept nearly I6 km along the inside of 5-metre wide gas pipeline and spent several days in the pipe before surprising Ukrainian forces from the rear near Sudzha: Blogger

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Russian forces on Sunday recaptured three more settlements in Russia’s western Kursk region, the Defence Ministry said, part of an operation to evict Ukrainian troops holding chunks of territory seven months after a cross-border incursion.

The ministry statement, posted on the Telegram messaging app, followed reports by Russian bloggers that Russian special forces had crept for miles through a gas pipeline near the town of Sudzha in an attempt to surprise Ukrainian forces.

The three settlements now under Russian control according to the ministry-Malaya Lokhnya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye and Kositsa - all lie north of Sudzha.

“The Russian Federation's armed forces are continuing to rout groups of the Ukrainian army on the territory of Kursk region,” the statement said.

The earlier report by Russian bloggers on the pipeline operation appeared to be a ruse aimed at cutting off thousands of Ukrainian soldiers in the region ahead of Ukrainian talks with the United States on a possible peace deal to end the war.