The operation to regain control of the Kursk region, which had been under Ukrainian forces, has been concluded, with President Vladimir Putin receiving a report from the Chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, confirming the completion of the operation.

The return of the border areas to Russian control came almost nine months after the initial invasion, which began in August of the previous year, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The conflict in the Kursk region began early on August 6, 2024, when Ukrainian units crossed the state border and, over the course of several days, captured the city of Sudzha and surrounding areas. The Ministry of Defence has not publicly confirmed the exact number of settlements captured by Ukrainian forces, but on August 12, acting regional governor Alexey Smirnov stated that 28 settlements had been taken.

By January, the Ministry of Defence reported that Ukrainian forces controlled a total of 1,268 square kilometres of the Kursk region before their advance was halted. The clashes mainly took place in the Sudzhansky and Korenevsky districts, with attempts to break into the Glushkovsky district also repelled by Russian forces.

During the offensive, civilians were evacuated from the region, initially on a voluntary basis, due to the threat of ongoing conflict. Different figures regarding the number of displaced people have been reported. In August, Smirnov stated that approximately 133,000 people had left their homes, while two months later, Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova reported that 112,000 civilians had been evacuated, with around 40,000 either refusing to leave or returning to their homes in Russian-controlled areas by October. Evacuations were conducted in eight out of 28 districts within the region.

Alongside the Kursk region, evacuations also took place in the neighbouring Belgorod region, where the threat of further military action remained, and shelling of civilian areas continued. By early February, 43 settlements in Belgorod had been evacuated and closed to entry.

In early March, Russian forces launched an offensive on Sudzha from multiple directions. Additionally, around 600 Russian soldiers reportedly entered the rear of Ukrainian positions through the gas pipeline. Within a few days, more than 25 settlements were retaken. On March 13, Sudzha, the only city captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, was reclaimed by Russian troops. Following this, only a few settlements near the border crossing and the Sudzha gas measuring station remained under Ukrainian control.

By Tamilla Hasanova

Source: caliber.az