Pro-Russian war blogger Two Majors said a major battle was under way for Sudzha and that Russian forces had surprised Ukrainian soldiers by entering the area via a gas pipeline.

The Russian army has entered the Sudzha of the Kursk region, fighting is already underway on the outskirts of the city. This is reported by the editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian website "Censor" Yuri Butusov.

A surprise Russian assault through a gas pipeline, along with a major offensive, is quickly making Ukraine's hold on Kursk untenable