On Wednesday afternoon, the Ukrainian army, which advanced into the Kursk region, succeeded in capturing the Sudzha gas measurement station, through which Russian gas is transported to Europe.
Sudzha, the last remaining gas transit point for Gazprom through Ukrainian territory, was under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces as of 13:00 Moscow time, according to the publication Rybar.
Other sources report that the city of Sudzha itself is now in operational encirclement: it is occupied by the Ministry of Defense and FSB forces. The Gazprom station is in close proximity to a checkpoint. According to reports, Ukrainian troops have advanced 3 kilometers further into the Kursk region since the start of the day, and have taken control of Obukhivka, Pokrovskoye, Tolstiy Lug, and Lyubimovka.
Through the Sudzha station, Gazprom exports approximately 40 million cubic meters of gas daily. This fuel is supplied to Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary, accounting for about half of Gazprom's exports to Europe. The remaining gas is purchased by European countries via Turkey through the "Turkish Stream" pipeline.
Witnesses report that Ukrainian forces have taken the western outskirts of Sudzha. Ukrainian troops are now operating within the city after mobilizing reserves overnight, and there is a serious possibility that Sudzha could be lost.
The next target for the advancing Ukrainian forces could be the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, according to military correspondent Alexander Sladkov from "Russia-1." The plant, which supplies energy to 19 regions in the Central Federal District (CFD), is about 45 kilometers away from the Ukrainian troops.
The unexpected advance of the Ukrainian forces into the Kursk region caught the Russian military leadership off guard: by Wednesday morning, control was lost over 11 settlements in the region. President Vladimir Putin held an emergency meeting with government members and security chiefs, at which he accused Kyiv of "provocation" and strikes on residential buildings.
