Russia said on Tuesday that its troops had made major new gains in its western region of Kursk, accelerating their push to drive out Ukrainian forces who have been clinging on to a slice of Russian territory since last August.

Moscow’s military advances on the town of Sudzha may deprive Kyiv of a bargaining chip in peace talks. Russian forces have begun an assault on the town of Sudzha, the main population center in the Kursk region that was captured by Ukraine last year,