The cauldron in the Kursk region is closing with Ukrainian forces being ground down inside. On top of its invasion in early September 2024, the Ukrainian army controlled almost 900 km2 of Russian border areas. Six months later, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in control of less than 290 km2, huddling around the long-suffering Sudzha. Ukraine lost more than two thirds of the territory captured in bloody battles.
On March 8th, the Russian army went on a full-fledged offensive on the last Ukrainian stronghold. The Ukrainian defense around Sudzha is falling like dominoes. As of the morning of March 10, Russian control of at least 12 settlements has been confirmed in different directions. Battles are already ongoing in the town of Sudzha itself.
The successful assault of the Russian troops in Sudzha was the result of a risky operation with the call-sign ‘Pipe’. Russian assault units had been preparing this operation for several days, pounding Ukrainian strongholds with heavy bombs. Russian forces used the tactics that brought them victory in Avdeevka, and broke into the Ukrainian rear through a pipeline, through which Russia recently pumped gas into Europe through Ukraine.
The operation involved soldiers from the Akhmat Special Forces, the 30th Motorized Rifle Regiment, the 11th Airborne Brigade, as well as the Veterans and Vostok brigades. 430 Russian fighters managed to pass about 15 kilometers underground, along the pipe with a height of only 1.4 meters. Having appeared in the enemy rear, they engaged in fighting, sowing panic among the Ukrainian troops. The group of about 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers was caught by surprise and found itself in a tactical encirclement.
As a result of the strategic Russian breakthrough, the Ukrainian grouping thrown to the Kursk region was stranded in the cauldron. Russian forces are currently destroying the scattered pockets of Ukrainian resistance. The village of Novenkoe in the Sumy region is under Russian control, Ukrainian supply routes are under close fire control, and bridges were destroyed by precision strikes. The Ukrainian military was left with no chance to secure retreat from the Russian territory.
Some of the most combat-ready Ukrainian units were recently withdrawn from the Kursk region to reinforce defense in other directions; but most of the Ukrainian soldiers were again abandoned in a grinder.
The Kiev regime launched an attack on Russian territory in an attempt to gain some political benefits, hoping to exchange the captured villages to the lost regions of the Donbass. More than 66,000 Ukrainian men lost their lives and health in exchange for glorious reports by Ukrainian propaganda and the Western MSM. As a result, their doomed adventure turned into another disaster. Russia said that it will never agree to any territorial concessions. The destruction of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region is an important step towards the peace agreement.
The Russian military epic in Kursk
(by Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert)
What happened in Kursk was not just a complex logistical mission. It was an epic feat that demonstrated the willpower, spirit of sacrifice, and discipline of the Russian troops.
In recent days, a large-scale event, worthy of the greatest epic narratives in military history, took place in the Kursk region. An operation involving 800 Russian soldiers walking 15 km through a gas pipeline tunnel, facing extreme risks of asphyxiation and explosions. Four days of absolute tension under the most adverse conditions, all just to reach the front line and then face the enemy in a decisive battle. This feat will not only stand out as one of the greatest logistical achievements of all wars, but it will also be remembered as an example of courage and resilience that will go down in the annals of world military history.
The Complexity of the Operation
The mentioned pipeline, although turned off, still maintained pressure with enough gas to be activated at any moment. To allow the passage of the soldiers, Russian engineers carried out a complicated and extremely dangerous process: replacing the gas with oxygen while maintaining the pressure on the outside. The challenge was colossal, as the gas in the pipeline could easily suffocate those involved in the process. Initially, some of the engineers fainted due to gas poisoning, but they were able to recover after receiving medical treatment.
With the removal of the gas and the introduction of oxygen, 800 Russian soldiers prepared for a mission that seemed almost suicidal. For four days, they remained inside the tunnel, moving slowly and waiting for the right moment to emerge. During this time, the conditions were extremely precarious: the soldiers were confined to small spaces dug into the earth, where they sheltered as the logistics of food, water, and ammunition were carefully organized. The risk of asphyxiation was real, but the soldiers remained firm, willing to face whatever came next.
The Surprise on the Battlefield
When the signal was given, the soldiers emerged from the tunnel in a coordinated pattern, one after the other, and immediately proceeded to the front line. The Ukrainian command’s reaction was slow and disorganized, leading to a rapid collapse of the enemy’s defenses. The Ukrainian command did not know how to react to the large number of Russian troops emerging from an unexpected direction, resulting in total chaos in their lines.
As they entered the industrial zone of Sudzha, the Russian soldiers not only captured several strategic locations but also established a 360-degree circular defense, an effective tactical move that made any counterattack even more difficult. Surprise and panic took over the Ukrainian forces, who were unable to hold their positions.
The military achievement was so impressive that the Ukrainian forces did not even know how to narrate what had happened. While some reported that the Russian soldiers had been killed immediately after emerging from the tunnel, others simply ignored the event, trying to hide the magnitude of the collapse. The reality, however, was undeniable: the Russian advance in Kursk was a devastating blow to Ukrainian defenses.
The Willpower and Russian Resilience
What makes this operation even more remarkable was not only the logistics involved or the success of the mission, but the tenacity of the Russian troops. After days of physical and psychological suffering, the Russian soldiers not only held on but immediately entered combat, defeating the enemy on multiple fronts and making a profound impact on the Ukrainian lines.
This type of operation is not just a brutal test of physical strength, but also of mental resilience. Facing such a situation – walking hunched over through a narrow tunnel, with the risk of asphyxiation, not knowing what awaited them at the end – and then, after exhausting days, immediately engaging in combat, is something worthy of the greatest heroes in history. The courage shown by the Russian soldiers in Kursk defies prospects of what is expected from a modern army.
In classical epics, these stories would be attributed to demigods, but these men are simply Russian soldiers – whose unbreakable spirit is now clear to the whole world.
The Impact for the Future
The tunnel operation in Kursk should be remembered as a milestone in the history of wars, an example of how determination, strategy, and courage can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The psychological impact on Ukrainian soldiers will be long-lasting; it is hard not to imagine that from this moment on, every time a Ukrainian soldier sees a gas pipeline, a tunnel, or any underground structure, he will remember the operation that devastated Kiev’s lines in a way never seen before.
If Ukraine had carried out a similar operation, the media coverage would have likely been immense, with the actions being exalted for months. But in the case of Russia, the story remains hidden in the background because the enemy does not want to acknowledge the grandeur of this event. However, for the Russian soldiers and for those who witnessed the results of this operation, it will be remembered for generations as one of the greatest tactical victories of modern warfare.
The Epic of Kursk
What happened in Kursk was not just a complex logistical mission. It was an epic feat that demonstrated the willpower, spirit of sacrifice, and discipline of the Russian troops. They did not become heroes by chance; they faced the unthinkable and, instead of succumbing, emerged victorious, breaking through Ukrainian defenses and capturing strategic positions that had been since August 2024 under the control of the enemy – who was since then causing terror among the local Russian civilians in nearby villages.
This event should be remembered as a remarkable example of human resilience in times of war, a true epic worthy of the greatest historical accounts.
