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Cailianshe News, August 16 (Editor: Xia Junxiong)On Thursday (August 15th) local time, Ukrainian President Zelensky said that Ukrainian troops had occupied the border town of Sudja in Russia's Kursk Oblast.

Zelensky said on social media X on Thursday that Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Sersky reported to him on the capture of Suja that day.

Serski said that Ukraine has established a military control bureau in Kursk. He also said that since the start of the Ukrainian offensive in Kursk, the Ukrainian armed forces have controlled 82 settlements, covering an area of ​​1,150 square kilometers and a depth of 35 kilometers.

Russia has not yet commented on Ukraine's claims.

Ukrainian troops launched a raid on Kursk Oblast on August 6, the largest attack on Russian territory since World War II.

Kursk Oblast and the bordering Belgorod Oblast have both entered a federal state of emergency, and at least 200,000 people have been evacuated from the two areas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier held a security meeting on the border situation and ordered border guards and the army to repel the Ukrainian offensive.

Sudja is located 85 kilometers south of Kursk, the capital of Kursk Oblast, and has a population of about 5,000. The last pipeline that still supplies Russian natural gas to Europe passes through the area.

After Ukraine crossed the border and attacked Kursk Oblast, the market panicked about a shortage of natural gas supply. However, some media reported that neither Russia nor Ukraine had any intention of cutting off the supply of natural gas to Europe.

According to relevant data, Russia transported 14.65 billion cubic meters of natural gas through Suja, which is slightly less than half of its total natural gas exports to Europe.

Ukrainian officials say they have no intention of occupying Russian territory, but the offensive could force Russian troops to withdraw from the front lines in eastern Ukraine, easing pressure there.

Some media reported that Russia is withdrawing some troops from Ukraine in response to the Ukrainian army's offensive on Kursk Oblast.