From: Transform Ukraine By Douglas Landro / March 17, 2025
Summary of the Day – March 16, 2025
As Ukraine withdraws from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, diplomatic wheels turn with unprecedented speed. Trump and Putin prepare for direct talks this week while the UK proposes a 10,000-strong peacekeeping mission. Meanwhile, Ukraine appoints a new General Staff chief amid stabilization on the Donbas front but warnings of a potential Russian assault on Sumy Oblast.
The Kursk Retreat: Ukraine’s Strategic Withdrawal
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed on March 16 what Moscow had claimed days earlier—Ukrainian forces have withdrawn completely from Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk Oblast. Rather than announcing the retreat directly, military leadership simply published updated battlefield maps showing the strategic logistics hub was no longer under Ukrainian control.
The withdrawal represents a significant setback for Ukraine’s cross-border operation, launched in August 2024 as a bold gambit to create leverage for future peace negotiations. Russian forces have gradually eroded Ukraine’s foothold in Kursk through relentless artillery bombardment, drone strikes, and the deployment of devastating glide bombs that disrupted Ukrainian supply lines.
Despite unconfirmed reports of Ukrainian forces being encircled—claims that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to urge Vladimir Putin to “spare” them—Ukrainian officials maintain no such encirclement occurred. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi had acknowledged the difficult situation days earlier, stating his “priority has been and remains to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers” and that his forces would maneuver to “more favorable positions” when necessary.
Leadership Reshuffling: Ukraine’s Military Transformation
Ukraine appointed Major General Andrii Hnatov as the new chief of the General Staff on March 16, part of what Defense Minister Rustem Umerov described as a systematic military reform. Hnatov, previously serving as deputy chief of the General Staff, replaces Anatolii Barhilevych, who had held the position only since February 2024.
Voice of Ukraine 