In the days since the Trump administration temporarily suspended military and intelligence assistance to Kyiv, Russian forces have stepped up attacks on Ukrainian troops in the region, officials and an analyst said.

Ukraine’s retreat from most of the Russian region deprives it of a bargaining chip in peace talks.

Sudzha, with a reported population of about 5,000 people before the offensive, was the biggest town seized by Kyiv's forces last year as part of their surprise cross-border offensive.