Russian forces have recaptured Sudzha, the largest town that Ukraine once occupied in the Kursk region, according to Moscow, threatening Kyiv’s sole territorial bargaining chip amid pressure to negotiate an end to the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited soldiers in the embattled Kursk region, where Russian troops have pushed Ukrainian forces from the territory they had occupied for weeks. NBC News’ Matt Bodner explains what the show of strength from Putin could mean for peace negotiations between the U.

President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to Russia’s occupied Kursk region on Wednesday, as the Kremlin considers a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with his troops closing in on Ukraine’s only territorial bargaining chip.

An attack is sprung by Russian soldiers who donned gas masks and crawled for three days through a pipeline to spring upon the Ukrainians south of Sudzha.