Russian forces advance in Kursk region: control key villages and Push North on Sumy-Sudzha highway
In its latest operational update for March 16, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine released a battle map depicting ongoing military activities in Russia’s Kursk region, indicating a full withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Sudzha. During the last 24 hours, 19 clashes were reported in the Kursk direction.
Russian forces continue to employ aircraft and artillery strikes against the positions of Ukrainian Forces on the Kursk front.
"Over the past day in Kursk, there were 19 skirmishes, with the enemy performing 34 airstrikes, dropping 63 guided bombs, and conducting 243 artillery attacks, including five from multiple rocket launcher systems," stated the General Staff.
Data from the monitoring source DeepState shows that between March 15 and 16, the controlled area by Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region shrank. The Russians regained control of Honcharivka, Zaolishenka, and Rubanshchyna west of Sudzha and continue advancing north on the N-07 Sumy-Sudzha route.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied reports about a potential encirclement of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region. He stated that the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, assured him that Ukrainian units continue to execute their objectives on Russian territory.
The President also highlighted that Ukrainian Army actions have drawn significant Russian forces away from other directions.
"Owing to Ukrainian forces in Kursk, considerable Russian forces have been redirected from other sectors. Our troops continue to contain respective Russian and North Korean groups in Kursk. There is no encirclement of our forces," wrote Zelensky on social media.
Analysts from DeepState reported that Russian Armed Forces have complete control over the district center of Sudzha. According to DeepState, Ukrainian foothold in Russian territory has reduced to 140 square kilometers.