Ukrainian fighters take up to 120 civilians captive in Sudzha

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are holding from 70 to 120 civilians in a social institution of the border town of Sudzha, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik, TASS reports.

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"According to our information, from 70 to 120 people are being held in this territory. Up to 15 of the captives are children," he said.

According to him, since the invasion of Ukrainian fighters into the Kursk region, as many as 266 civilians were wounded and 56 were killed. Eleven children are believed to be among the wounded. Miroshnik added. These are only official figures that the Russian side is aware of, the official also said. It will be possible to establish all the consequences after Russia regains full control of the captured territories.

Ukraine invaded the Kursk region of Russia in early August. The town of Sudzha came under fire first. The AFU then broke through the border and took control over several settlements. On September 10, the Russian troops launched a large-scale counteroffensive. The Defense Ministry of Russia said that Kyiv lost more than 16,000 servicemen in the Kursk direction of hostilities as of September 22.

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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 15 August 2024, the town has been occupied by Ukrainian forces as a result of an incursion into the region.