Video shows Russian soldiers advancing through underground gas pipeline to enter Sudzha

According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian troops have completely withdrawn from Sudzha.

Photo: Mil.ru by Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Russian soldier

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) left the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region virtually without a fight, Telegram channel Military Informant reported. Additionally, the Russian flag was raised over the city's administration building.

The publication's authors note that a significant portion of the city's infrastructure and residential buildings remained intact because Ukrainian forces withdrew without active resistance. To support this claim, the channel published a video showing empty streets, residential areas, infrastructure facilities, and Russian assault troops.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov published a video allegedly showing Russian soldiers inside a gas pipeline in the Kursk region.

"For five days, our warriors secretly advanced through a gas pipeline, infiltrating the enemy’s rear. Taking occasional breaks to regain strength, they calmly covered 15 kilometers under the most challenging conditions. Upon reaching their final destination, the fighters launched a swift and decisive strike against the enemy. The operation was bold but, above all, incredibly effective. Their exceptional training, determination, and coordinated actions allowed them to achieve their objective and deliver a devastating blow to the enemy," Ramzan Kadyrov wrote.

Near Sudzha, Russian troops used a section of the main gas pipeline – previously used to transport gas from Russia through Ukraine to Europe - to "break through Ukrainian defensive positions," Alexander Khinshtein, acting governor of the Kursk region said.

"Not only was it impossible to walk upright there (forcing them to move bent over in full gear for about ten kilometers!), but there was also a risk of poisoning, requiring protective equipment. Our fighters previously used a similar tactic in Avdiivka."

Several hundred troops participated in the operation, traveling more than 15 kilometers through the pipeline.

"They walked for two days, spent four days sitting inside the pipe (waiting for the right moment to attack)," "many suffered health issues," and "there were casualties, but they completed their mission," reported the Moskovsky Komsomolets, citing Russian military Telegram channels.

Russian troops moving through the pipeline were "detected in time" and were targeted by missile and artillery strikes, according to the General Staff of the AFU.

According to publications by Russia's Ministry of Defense on March 8 and 9, Russian forces regained control of seven settlements in the Kursk region during those days.

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Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician and current Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated with the Chechen independence movement, through his father who was the separatist-appointed mufti of Chechnya. He is a colonel general in the Russian military. Kadyrov is the son of former Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov, who switched sides in the Second Chechen War by offering his service to Vladimir Putin's administration in Russia and became Chechen president in 2003. Akhmad Kadyrov was assassinated in May 2004. In February 2007, Ramzan Kadyrov replaced Alu Alkhanov as president, shortly after he had turned 30, which is the minimum age for the post. He was engaged in violent power struggles with Chechen commanders Sulim Yamadayev (d. 2009) and Said-Magomed Kakiyev for overall military authority, and with Alkhanov for political authority. Since November 2015, he has been a member of the Advisory Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation.