Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region has brought the gas transit hub in Sudzha into sharp focus.

A few kilometers inside Russia from the Ukrainian border, Sudzha is an important processing point for Russian gas being exported to Europe. Gas from Siberia arrives there before it is piped via Ukraine toward EU countries such as Hungary, Austria and Slovakia.

Last week, a Ukrainian military brigade published a video of its soldiers at the offices of Russian gas giant Gazprom’s offices at the Sudzha station and claimed it was under their full control. Russia claims Ukraine does…