Ukrainian occupation of Kursk Oblast

Last updated

Ukrainian occupation of Kursk Oblast
August 2024 Kursk Oblast incursion.svg
Map showing the maximum claimed extent of Ukrainian occupation
Occupied countryFlag of Russia.svg  Russia
Occupying powerFlag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine
Ukrainian-installed occupation regime
  • Military commandant's office for the Kursk region [lower-alpha 1] (15 August 2024–present)
    (2 months and 3 weeks)
August 2024 Kursk Oblast incursion 6 August 2024
Administrative centre Sudzha [1]
Largest settlement Sudzha
Government
  Military Commandant Eduard Moskaliov

During the Russo-Ukrainian War and Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured and 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 captured 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.

Contents

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]

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. [7] [8] [9] Ukrainian authorities plan to allow international humanitarian organizations to access the areas of Kursk Oblast that they control. [10]

Ukraine’s national postal service, Ukrposhta, is considering opening a branch in Sudzha if the safety of its staff can be guaranteed. [11] [12]

On 16 August, journalists from Italy's RAI network and Ukraine's Hromadske network visited the Sudzha area and interviewed local residents. [13] [14] [15] 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. [16] Some Russian civilians in the territory under Ukrainian occupation have complained that they have been abandoned by the Russian government. [17]

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. [18]

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. [19]

Office holders

No.NamePortraitPositionTerm of office
1 Eduard Moskaliov Eduard Moskaliov 2018 (cropped).jpg Military Commandant15 August 2024Present

Control of settlements

NamePop. District Held byAs ofMore information
Belaya 2,598 Belovsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Bolshoye Soldatskoye 2,681 Bolshesoldatsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Glushkovo 4,785 Glushkovsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Korenevo 6,119 Korenevsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Kurchatov 42,706noneFlag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Kursk 440,052noneFlag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Lgov 21,453noneFlag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Malaya Loknya 799 Sudzhansky Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 4 Sep 2024Captured by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine on 8 August 2024. [20]
Contested by Flag of Russia.svg  Russia since 9 August 2024. [21] [22]
Likely captured by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine on 4 September 2024. [23]
Rylsk 15,069 Rylsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024
Snagost 494 Korenevsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 14 Sep 2024Contested by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine on 8 August 2024. [24]
Likely fully recaptured by Flag of Russia.svg  Russia on 9 August 2024. [21]
Contested by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine since around 11 August 2024. [25] [26]
Likely captured by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine on 18 August 2024. [27]
Contested by Flag of Russia.svg  Russia between around 10–12 September 2024. [28]
Claimed captured by Flag of Russia.svg  Russian sources on 11 September 2024.
Confirmed captured by Flag of Russia.svg  Russia on 13 September 2024. [29]
Sudzha 6,036 Sudzhansky Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine 15 Aug 2024Contested by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine between around 6–14 August 2024. [30]
Claimed captured by Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine on 15 August 2024. [31] [32]
Tyotkino 3,852 Glushkovsky Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 6 Aug 2024

See also

Notes

  1. Ukrainian: Військова комендатура Курської області, Russian: Военная комендатура Курской области

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sudzha</span> Town in Kursk Oblast, Russia

Sudzha is a town and the administrative center of Sudzhansky District in Kursk Oblast, Russia, located on the Sudzha and Oleshnya rivers 105 kilometers (65 mi) southwest of Kursk, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a population of 5,127 people. It is the natural gas exchange feeder where the Trans-Siberian pipeline meets the Brotherhood pipeline. Since August 15, 2024, the town has been occupied by Ukrainian forces as a result of an incursion into the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krasnohorivka</span> City in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine

Krasnohorivka is a city in Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine. It is situated west of Donetsk. As of the 2001 census, it has a population of 16,714. In June 2024, as a result of fighting over the city, the population had reportedly decreased to 346. The city was completely captured by Russia in September 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donetsk People's Republic</span> Disputed Russian republic in eastern Ukraine

The Donetsk People's Republic is a republic of Russia, comprising the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, with its capital in Donetsk. The DPR was created by Russian-backed paramilitaries in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed in 2022. The entire territory of DPR is viewed as sovereign territory of Ukraine by nearly all UN member states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial control during the Russo-Ukrainian War</span>

This page provides information on the most recently known control of localities in Ukraine during the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014 and escalated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It includes all larger localities across the country, as well as some smaller localities close to current or recent lines of contact. It also includes a timeline of changes in territorial control, both of individual settlement captures and changes in the overall area under Russian control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Ukraine campaign</span> Ongoing military offensive in Ukraine

Ukraine's easternmost oblasts, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv, have been the site of an ongoing theatre of operation since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian occupation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast</span> Military occupation and annexation by Russia

The ongoing military occupation of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast by Russian forces began on 24 February 2022 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine as part of the southern Ukraine campaign. It was administrated under a Russian-controlled military-civilian administration until 30 September 2022, when it was illegally annexed to become an unrecognized federal subject of Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attacks in Russia during the Russian invasion of Ukraine</span> Reported cross-border incidents in Western Russia

There have been attacks in mainland Russia as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022. The main targets have been the military, the arms industry and the oil industry. Many of the attacks have been drone strikes, firebombing, and rail sabotage. The Ukrainian intelligence services have acknowledged carrying out some of these attacks. Others have been carried out by anti-war activists in Russia. There have also been cross-border shelling, missile strikes, and covert raids from Ukraine, mainly in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts. Several times, Ukrainian-based paramilitaries launched incursions into Russia, captured border villages and battled the Russian military. These were carried out by units made up mainly of Russian emigrants. While Ukraine supported these ground incursions, it denied direct involvement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Donbas (2022)</span> Battle in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The battle of Donbas was a military offensive that was part of the wider eastern Ukraine campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The offensive began on 18 April 2022 between the armed forces of Russia and Ukraine for control of the Donbas region. Military analysts consider the campaign to have been the second strategic phase of the invasion, after Russia's initial three-pronged attack into Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast</span> Military occupation by Russia

The Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast, officially the Kharkov Military–Civilian Administration, is an ongoing military occupation that began on 24 February 2022, after Russian forces invaded Ukraine and began capturing and occupying parts of Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. Russian forces failed to capture the capital city of the oblast, Kharkiv. However, other major cities including Izium, Kupiansk, and Balakliia were captured by Russian forces. As of November 2022, Russian forces only occupy a small portion of land in the Kharkiv Oblast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian occupation of Chernihiv Oblast</span> Military occupation by Russia

The Russian occupation of Chernihiv Oblast was a military occupation that began on 24 February 2022, the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Steadily, Russian troops started capturing large parts of the Chernihiv Oblast to try to take the capital city of Ukraine, Kyiv. The capital city of the oblast, Chernihiv, was never captured. By 3 April, Russian forces left the oblast, ending the occupation.

A major Ukrainian counteroffensive operation began on 6 September 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Following the launch of the Kherson counteroffensive in southern Ukraine in late August, Ukrainian forces began a second counteroffensive in early September in Kharkiv Oblast, in Eastern Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luhansk Oblast campaign</span> Military campaign within the Russian invasion of Ukraine since 2022

Since 19 September 2022, a military campaign has taken place along a 60-km frontline in western parts of Luhansk Oblast and far-eastern parts of Kharkiv Oblast amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Also known as the Svatove–Kreminna line or the Kupiansk–Svatove–Kreminna–Bilohorivka line after the major settlements along the front, the campaign began a day after the Ukrainian Army recaptured the nearby city of Lyman during the Kharkiv counteroffensive after of which the front line froze over the next few months.

Events in the year 2024 in Ukraine.

On 12 March 2024, during the Russo-Ukrainian War, Ukrainian-backed armed groups launched a cross-border incursion from Ukraine into Russia. They entered Belgorod and Kursk Oblasts and clashed with the Russian military. At least three groups took part: the Freedom of Russia Legion, Russian Volunteer Corps and Sibir Battalion. They claimed control of at least four settlements in Russia, and many other border settlements remained under contested control. The Russian defense ministry denied this, repeatedly claiming it had beaten back the attackers and forced them to retreat, despite continued fighting. The incursion took place during the 2024 Russian presidential election and was one of several cross-border incursions into Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Chasiv Yar</span> Battle in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2024

The battle of Chasiv Yar is an ongoing military engagement in the Russian invasion of Ukraine between the Russian Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for control of the city of Chasiv Yar and surrounding villages. The battle began on 4 April 2024 with the first direct assault on the city by Russian forces, and has thus far seen the confirmed capture of the Kanal district and the claimed capture of the Novyi district by Russia, the two easternmost of the city, and the advance of their forces to all land east of the Siverskyi Donets – Donbas Canal separating the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Kharkiv offensive</span> Ongoing battle in the Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 10 May 2024, the Russian Armed Forces began an offensive operation in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, shelling and attempting to breach the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Vovchansk and Kharkiv. The Guardian reported that the offensive has led to Russia's biggest territorial gains in 18 months. By early June the Russian offensive stalled, with The Guardian reporting that the situation on the frontline had been "stabilized." Ukrainian forces then began small-scale counterattacks, which reportedly recaptured its first settlement on 19 June.

This timeline of the Russian invasion of Ukraine covers the period from 1 August 2024 to the present day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Kursk offensive</span> Ukrainian offensive into Russias Kursk Oblast

On 6 August 2024, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine as part of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast and clashed with the Russian Armed Forces and Russian border guard. According to Russia, at least 1,000 troops crossed the border on the first day, supported by tanks and armored vehicles. A state of emergency was declared in Kursk Oblast, and Russian reserves were rushed to the area. On 10 August, Russian authorities introduced a "counter-terrorist operation" regime in Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk oblasts. By the end of the first week, the Ukrainian military said it had captured 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi) of Russian territory, while Russian authorities acknowledged that Ukraine had captured 28 settlements. By early October, the advance of Ukraine had stalled. Ukraine established a military administration for the territory under its control on 15 August 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pokrovsk offensive</span> 2024 military operation during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Pokrovsk offensive is an ongoing military operation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Armed Forces with the primary goal of capturing the strategic city of Pokrovsk in western Donetsk Oblast. Fighting increased with the Russian advance into and subsequent capture of Prohres on 18 and 19 July 2024, a turning point for the Russian offensive northwest of Avdiivka following the latter's capture in February 2024, and has taken place in numerous settlements east and south of Pokrovsk in Pokrovsk Raion.

Snagost is a village in Korenevsky District, Kursk Oblast, Russia. It is the administrative centre of Snagost village council.

References

  1. 1 2 "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.
  2. 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.
  3. "Ukraine forms military administration in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Denisova, Kateryna (3 September 2024). "Ukraine plans to 'indefinitely' hold Kursk Oblast's seized territories, Zelensky says". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  7. "Zelensky Confirms Capture of Sudzha in Kursk Region". Archived from the original on 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  8. "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.
  9. "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.
  10. "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.
  11. "Ukraine's national postal service considers working in Russian Sudzha under certain conditions".
  12. "Ukraine's National Postal Service is Ready to Open in Sudzha".
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "«Суджа була Сумської губернії»: росіяни в Курській області / Hromadske". YouTube . Archived from the original on 18 August 2024. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  15. "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.
  16. 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.
  17. "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.
  18. 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
  19. 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.
  20. "'Furious battles are underway': Kursk residents call on Putin for help after Ukrainian incursion". CNN. 8 August 2024.
  21. 1 2 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).
  22. "Ukraine advances further into Russia's Kursk region - Ukrainian commander". BBC News . 16 August 2024.
  23. 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."
  24. "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.
  25. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 12, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  26. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, August 11, 2024". Institute for the Study of War. 11 August 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  27. 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.
  28. 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.
  29. 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).
  30. 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.
  31. Kostenko, Maria; Danaher, Caitlin; Tanno, Sophie (15 August 2024). "Ukraine captures Russian town of Sudzha as Kyiv's forces advance, Zelensky says". CNN .
  32. Méheut, Constant (15 August 2024). "Ukraine Captures Russian Town, Zelensky Says". The New York Times .