Ukrainian forces left a path of destruction in the Kursk operation. AP visited a seized Russian town

SUDZHA, Russia (AP) — A trail of destruction lies in the path that Ukrainian forces carved on their risky incursion into Russia, blasting through the border and eventually into the town of Sudzha, where Associated Press journalists traveled Friday on a Ukrainian government-organized trip.

Artillery fire has blown chunks out of a statue of Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin that stands in a central square of the Russian town, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday was fully under his troops’ control. The windows of an administrative building are blasted out, and its bright yellow facade is scorched and pockmarked with bullet holes.

Ukrainian forces have overrun one Russian settlement after another in the surprise operation that Kyiv hopes will change the dynamic of the 2½-year-old conflict.

Russia’s military has so far struggled to mount an effective response to the attack on its Kursk region, the largest on the country since World War II. Sudzha, which is 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border, is the biggest town to fall to Ukraine’s troops since the incursion began Aug. 6.

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Evidence of Ukraine’s lightning march lines the roads to the town. On grass littered with debris lies a sign blasted with bullets that has arrows in two directions: Ukraine to the left and Russia to right. A burned-out tank stands by the side of a road.

The photos and video the AP chose to publish were reviewed by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, as is standard procedure on such trips.

The incursion has reframed the conflict, leading to the evacuation of more than 120,000 civilians, according to Russian authorities, and the capture of at least 100 Russian troops, according to Kyiv. It is widely seen as a major morale boost for a country and an army struggling to fend off steady Russian advances more than two years after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine.

But, so far, it has not dented Russia’s overall strategic advantage.

The full scope of the Kursk operation remains unclear, including how long Ukraine is willing to hold Russian territory and to what end. Will Sudzha be a bargaining chip for a future cease-fire negotiation? And if so, will Ukraine assume the role of an occupier in a country that, in turn, controls a fifth of its own territory?

Ukrainian officials and soldiers have said diverting Russian reserves from the main battlegrounds in eastern Ukraine is a minimum aim of the Kursk offensive, but Moscow has shown no signs of withdrawing significant numbers of troops from battles there or slowing their tempo.

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine will establish a command office in Sudzha to coordinate aid and military affairs. That suggests Ukraine may plan to remain in the Kursk region long-term – or at least wants to signal to Moscow that it might.

Ukraine’s Western backers have remained largely silent about the surprise operation, though U.S. President Joe Biden said that he’s been kept abreast of developments.

Sudzha, which had a population of just 5,000 before the conflict began, holds some strategic importance. From the town, troops can access main roads to continue with their operation in Russia. Natural gas flowing from West Siberian gas fields to Central Europe via Ukraine passes through a metering station in the Sudzha district. However, Ukraine can also cut this gas flow from its own territory.

In the Russian town on Friday, residents huddled in a school basement. As they wondered about their fate, Ukrainian forces pushed their advance in Kursk. Fighting continued south of Korenevo, a town similar in size to Sudzha that would be an important tactical gain.