MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. After securing the settlement of Sverdlikovo in the Kursk Region, Russian paratroopers advanced to the border with the Sumy Region and forced the enemy back into Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
"The situation in Sverdlikovo remains tense. The settlement has been liberated, with complete control taken by units of the Russian Armed Forces. At present, we have reached the state border and maintain dominion over the settlement. The enemy had a significant presence in the settlement and the surrounding wooded areas," the defense ministry quoted a paratrooper commander with the call sign Master as saying.
The ministry added that paratroopers from the 51st and 56th Guards Airborne Regiments were involved in the operation. Units of the 56th regiment captured the western part of the settlement, while those from the 51st focused on the east.
The enemy deployed reserves, some of which were eliminated by artillery and drone strikes. Given Sverdlikovo’s importance for the defense of Sudzha, the enemy attempted to maintain control over the settlement but was unsuccessful. Part of the enemy forces were destroyed, while the remainder were captured as prisoners of war.
Later, to commemorate the liberation of Sverdlikovo, the paratroopers hoisted flags of Russia and its Airborne Forces at a war memorial honoring the Victory in the Great Patriotic War located in the settlement.