Sudzha

Sudzha (Су́джа) is a town and the administrative center of Sudzhansky District in Kursk Oblast, Russia, located on the Sudzha and Olyoshnya Rivers 105 km southwest of Kursk, the administrative center of the oblast. It has a population of 5,127 people.

History
Sudzha was founded in 1664. It was initially a town of the Sumy Regiment within Sloboda Ukraine, and was fortified with ramparts and a moat. In 1708 it was included within the Kiev Governorate, and in 1779 it became the seat of the Sudzhansky Uyezd. In 1870, the town proper had a population of 4,482 and the suburbs had a population of 5,624. In 1869, there were 393 craftsmen in the town, and in 1871 there were nine factories. In the late 19th century, the town hosted four annual fairs and two weekly markets. According to the 1897 Russian Empire census, the town had a population of 7,433, of which 61.2% were Ukrainians, 37.2% were Russians, 1.2% were Jews and 0.3% were Poles.

During World War II, Sudzha was occupied by German troops from October 18, 1941 to March 3, 1943.

After the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Sudzha became the last remaining point at which natural gas flowed from Russia to Europe through Ukraine after the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage. On June 4, 2023, Russia said it shot down a Ukrainian drone over Sudzha.

Government
Within the framework of administrative divisions, Sudzha serves as the administrative center of Sudzhansky District. As an administrative division, it is incorporated within Sudzhansky District as the town of district significance of Sudzha. As a municipal division, the town of district significance of Sudzha is incorporated within Sudzhansky Municipal District as Sudzha Urban Settlement.

Demographics
The town's population has declined over the past few decades, from 7,487 in 1989 to 5,127 in 2021.