Sudzha, a district center in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, came under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the early days of the operation on Russian territory. The path from the Ukrainian border to the town shows minimal damage; most houses and shops remain intact, though windows in some administrative buildings are blown out. In Sudzha, the Center of Folk Art was destroyed, but Ukrainian soldiers assert this was done by the Russians themselves. Recently, Russian forces targeted the Lenin monument with an FPV drone. The Ukrainian military reports that the enemy is actively trying to hold back the Ukrainian army.
Slidstvo.Info visited Kursk Oblast, speaking with Ukrainian soldiers and locals. The video has English subtitles.
“I’VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY PRISONERS TAKEN AT ONCE”
Ukrainian soldier Maksym shared with Slidstvo.Info that the order to enter Russian territory was unexpected for him.
Ukrainian soldier Maksym
“It’s a nice little hustle. Heh-heh. Whoever is involved in this adventure, I think everyone enjoyed it,” says fellow serviceman Vitaliy.
“It was unexpected. Honestly, everyone was just in a bit of a stupor at first. How is this possible? Are we really going to go there now or what? And then the task was confirmed and we were happy to proceed, to be honest. It’s not every day that you get to go abroad. And this is such an opportunity. We enter the territory. I just shouted ‘That’s it! Russia!’ And we got down to work.”
He recalls that the first few days were filled with adrenaline. The soldiers were satisfied after capturing a large number of Russian soldiers: “Knowing we captured so many and accomplished such significant work… It was satisfying. We forced the enemy to act, which helped relieve pressure on our troops on the eastern [front]. To redeploy troops from the hottest spots, and here so that we can engage and destroy them. Our troops keep advancing; no one’s stopped.”
During a clearing operation in one village, the Ukrainian army took several dozen Russian soldiers prisoner, who voluntarily surrendered along with their platoon commander.
“They decided to save their lives and surrender,” Maksym recounted. “When we reached the last street and began moving toward the enemy’s platoon post, Russian soldiers raised their hands, and we signaled for them to approach. Two came out first; one was an officer, a platoon commander, who informed us that an entire unit was there. We instructed them that if they wanted to live, they should surrender, and we would ensure their transport to Ukraine. All 28 soldiers emerged. Most were conscripts aged 20-23, some border guards, and a few contract soldiers.”
Screenshot from the video
Maksym added that he had served in Klishchiyivka and Avdiivka before but had never seen so many prisoners taken simultaneously. “I hope we can exchange these conscripts, especially for the Azov regiment. These 18-year-old conscripts should be exchanged for Azov fighters.”
The town of Sudzha is relatively quiet now, with only the sounds of Ukrainian long-range artillery, indicating that the front line is far from the district center.
“All this is done to make it all end. This whole war. I hope that everything will be fine and the sooner the better. Of course, only in our favor. There should be only a victory of Ukraine,” the soldier adds.
“THE ENEMY DOESN’T HESITATE TO STRIKE THEIR OWN PEOPLE”
Vadym Mysnyk, spokesperson for the Siversk Operational Tactical Grouping, mentioned that Russian forces are actively using aviation to strike their own villages: “The enemy consistently attacks along the entire border zone, using guided bombs on settlements and civilians. They don’t hesitate to hit their own, like in the town of Sudzha. People suffer from these strikes and are forced to hide in basements.”
Vadym Mysnyk, spokesperson for the Siversk Operational Tactical Grouping
Ukrainian defenders are assisting the locals in accordance with international norms.
“Our military forces, the Ukrainian Defense Forces, are helping the population, following all international standards. A military commandant’s office has been set up, water was connected yesterday, and technical water is provided. We also provide food and bottled water. Starting today, military doctors are seeing people, providing them with the necessary medicines,” Mysnyk explained.
Vsevolod, a combat medic, has started his shift to assist the civilian population. He communicates with the locals in Ukrainian, which everyone understands well.
Serviceman Maksym stated he does not have a strong desire to communicate with Russian civilians unless necessary: “I don’t particularly want to talk to them unless they ask. If they come to us, we communicate. If they need help, we provide it. For example, yesterday, we evacuated an old lady from a village to Ukraine. She is Ukrainian herself, moved to the village to care for her parents who have since passed away, and she left. We filmed this old lady, her daughter saw it, and asked us to evacuate her; she’s now in Sumy with her sister.”
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- Sudzha
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“WE WON’T ANSWER FOR PUTIN; WE’RE INSIGNIFICANT HERE. WE’RE NOBODY.”
A Slidstvo.Info journalist spoke with Russian civilians living in Sudzha.
Local resident Olga expressed a longing for Ukraine, saying she often traveled to Sumy for bread and sausages: “You know, we are neither Russian nor Ukrainian. I lived near Ukraine. I used to go to the forest for mushrooms. We traveled to Sumy for groceries. The bread there was delicious. We went for bread and sausages about 40 years ago. But now it’s all over. It’s expensive, and they’ve stopped letting us through. Still, something draws my soul there.”
Asked if she wanted to leave, Olga replied she couldn’t abandon her daughter, who’s taking shelter in a basement.
Local resident Olga
– “Will we come under Ukraine or not?” she asked.
– “I don’t know, what would you like?” the journalist replied.
– “I want, you know what? I’ll tell you in secret…”
– “…”
– “We’re all Ukrainians here, in fact! We’re all Ukrainians! We have countless relatives there.”
A group of locals gathered on a bench near one of the houses, discussing Russia’s political situation and who they think is responsible for the war.
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- Screenshot from the video
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- Screenshot from the video
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- Screenshot from the video
– “We want a corridor to Russia to leave. Many people here want that.”
– “We thought it would just be some explosions, and then it would stop. No one had any idea what was happening there.”
– “Until you see it with your own eyes, you don’t get it…”
– “All questions are for our Putin; we have nothing to do with it. We’re outside politics. There’s little politics here—live one day at a time and be thankful.”
– “We have no connection with the outside world—no news from Russia or Ukraine. Nothing at all.”
Pavel, a resident of Sudzha
Pavel, a resident of Sudzha, said he doesn’t plan to leave because everything he owns is there: “I’m not leaving. I’ve worked my whole life to build this and now just leave it all behind? I’d rather stay here. No one is mistreating us; everything’s fine. Some have been building their houses for two decades. We agree that we’ve intruded into someone else’s home. That says it all.”
To this, another resident responded: “But it wasn’t us; it was our Putin. We won’t answer for Putin starting this war. We’re insignificant here. We’re nobody…”
