The town of Sudzha in Kursk region of Russia has been controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine since the middle of August, which are trying to restore water and electricity supply to the local population on their own, and also help provide people with food, water and medicine.

A correspondent of Interfax-Ukraine agency visited Sudzha. The visit to the city took place under the full accompaniment of the Ukrainian military, since the settlement is under constant enemy shelling, and Russian drones are constantly flying in the sky. At the time of our stay in the city, the sounds of guided aerial bombs were heard, movement had to be done as quickly as possible for security reasons, so it was not possible to simply walk around the city. The Ukrainian Armed Forces noted that there are many unexploded shells on the ground, so it is very dangerous to walk without an escort and it is necessary to respect the boundaries of certain areas.

However, Sudzha does not look like a destroyed or ruined town. Walking along the streets of the settlement, you can see buildings, cars and fallen trees damaged by shelling. Ukrainian servicemen ironically talk about the Lenin monument in the city center, which was knocked off its pedestal by a Russian FPV drone.

Sudzha is a small Russian city located 105 kilometers from Kursk and nine kilometers from the border with Ukraine. According to information from open sources, the population in 2024 was almost 5,000 people. On August 14, 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine occupied Sudzha. On the same day, vehicles with humanitarian aid entered the Russian city from Ukraine. Since August 15, a Ukrainian military commandant's office has been operating in the settlement. "The Ukrainian military is trying to help the civilian population in every possible way. I would like to emphasize that even with the help of our military personnel, the water supply and water supply are being restored," Head of the Communications Department of the Command of the Territorial Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky said.

The locals are currently complaining most about the lack of communication in the town, so they have no way to contact their relatives yet. The residents of Sudzha, whom we managed to meet, say that they have to live in basements now, but the Ukrainian military regularly delivers food and water to them. In addition, Ukrainian military doctors have begun receiving patients in Sudzha. Local resident Oleh said that there are no problems with access to medicine, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are providing assistance.

"A medical center has already been opened, which local residents can contact. People with disabilities and those who are unable to move are visited daily. The issue of moving them closer to the health center is also being resolved now, so that it is possible to provide people with qualified medical care," Colonel Dmytrashkivsky said. However, information about the exact number of people in the town is still being clarified. It is difficult to determine how many civilians there are in the settlement due to the security situation and the fact that people are in basements and shelters. The AFU said the number of people will be determined soon.

Dmytrashkivsky said civil-military cooperation is currently underway, and Ukrainian servicemen are visiting all settlements under Ukrainian control to determine the situation there, the number of people and their needs.

"There is a very big problem with livestock, of which there are many, it needs to be solved. Therefore, I think this will also be solved soon," the Ukrainian Defense Forces said.

Local residents of Sudzha say they were not informed of anything by the Russian authorities, and they were not informed in advance either about the possible threatening situation in the city or about evacuation options.

"No, no one warned us. But my house was bombed yesterday while we were here in the shelter. Why can't our authorities do anything?" resident Zoya said.

"The war must end, let's unite and live in friendship," she urged, adding that the younger generation, like her granddaughter, is "against the war."

Another civilian, Ekaterina, says that since the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, the war has not been noticeable in Russian Sudzha.

"I haven't even thought about it. What next?" she said, emphasizing that "the main thing is to have water, electricity, gas."

During the conversation, Ekaterina said she has a sister near Kharkiv, but they do not communicate because of the war. "We don't keep in touch. She says that it's all my fault," Ekaterina said.

According to women, "it is not known who is to blame for the war – politics led to this."

Civilian Oleg said he was at work when Ukrainian forces entered the town, and is worried that after that he had no contact with his parents. In the conversation, he said that before 2013 he went to the Ukrainian Sumy, "it is very close, everything was cheaper."

Resident Liudmila also said that she often visited Sumy and that "everyone communicated well," and also stated her complete lack of support for Putin.

Another resident of Sudzha, also Oleg, answering a question about his attitude towards Putin, said: "You will still ask me what I think about Stalin. He was normal once. You just need to leave on time." Speaking about the situation in the town, he said that some stores have already opened, and it is possible to buy some things, in particular, for animals. "What is the way out of this situation? I don't know, I'm not a politician. You understand that a small person can't do anything. But, of course, we would like peace," the civilian said.

Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereschuk said the day before that Russia had not contacted either Ukraine or the Red Cross to organize a humanitarian corridor from Kursk region.

The Defense Forces also note that humanitarian corridors are a state issue, and "when the appropriate decision is made, people will be informed."

"According to international humanitarian law, a person should be evacuated in the direction he wants. However, we are not sure that the Ukrainians are ready to accept Russian civilians on their territory," Colonel Dmytrashkivsky said.

However, he said the Armed Forces of Ukraine are doing everything possible to avoid violating international humanitarian law, in contrast to the Russian occupation forces committing war crimes in Ukraine.