Butusov wrote on Facebook on March 8 that Russian troops had used a gas pipeline to approach Ukrainian positions in Sudzha in Kursk Oblast. He added that the troops are being "liquidated."

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are at risk of being encircled, open-source maps of the battlefield show.

Russia deployed troops to the Sudzha region, where a critical Gazprom gas pipeline is located. This pipeline is part of the mainline running from Urengoy to Uzhhorod, which was supposed to deliver Russian gas to Europe by early 2025.