Russia Fighting in Russian Kursk region - gas transit running normally

According to Gazprom, Russian gas exports through the Kursk border region attacked by Ukraine are largely running normally. Today, around 37.3 million cubic meters of natural gas are expected to pass through, the company announced in Moscow.

This is five percent less than the previous day, according to the Russian state news agency Tass. During their advance across the border, Ukrainian troops took at least partial control of the city of Sudzha and thus probably also a measuring station of the important gas pipeline to Western Europe.

From there, the transit leads through Ukraine and on to Slovakia and Austria. In 2023, 14.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to the European Union in this way despite the ongoing war.

Blog: Fighting for the eastern part of the small town of Sudscha

Officially, Ukraine continues to keep a low profile on the advance into enemy territory, which began on Tuesday. The offensive was not mentioned in the General Staff's morning report. Experts from the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) confirmed on the basis of information in social networks that the Ukrainian troops had advanced at least ten kilometers into Russian territory. The Russian military blog Rybar reported on Wednesday evening that the western part of the small town was under Ukrainian control. The battle is being fought for the east of the town. The main problem for the Russian side is that Ukraine could bring in additional forces.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region, with thousands of people fleeing. In Moscow on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin called the Ukrainian attack a provocation. The acting deputy governor of Kursk, Andrey Belostotsky, said on Russian television: "The enemy has not advanced a single meter, on the contrary, it is retreating." These statements could not be independently verified.

Moment of surprise on the part of Ukraine

The aim of the Ukrainian advance remains a mystery, as Ukraine actually needs the troops to stabilize the crumbling front in the Donetsk region. On the other hand, the attack gives it an element of surprise. Russia is also being forced to regroup its forces.

According to the Ministry of Defense, Russia shot down 16 enemy drones over the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod during the night. This could not be independently verified either. Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale Russian invasion for almost two and a half years.