Egypt Daily News – Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his country’s military to achieve the “complete liberation” of the Kursk region, as Russian forces claimed to have made rapid advances against Ukrainian troops in recent days.
Putin was seen wearing military attire for the first time during his visit to this region bordering Ukraine, which had come under a surprise attack by Kyiv’s forces in August 2024. Since then, Ukrainian soldiers have taken control of hundreds of square kilometers, while Russian forces have been working in recent months to regain lost ground.
In televised remarks, Putin told Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov: “I expect all combat missions carried out by our units to be accomplished, and that the territories of the Kursk region will soon be fully liberated from the enemy.” He also emphasized his desire to expel Ukrainian forces “as soon as possible in the near future.”
For his part, Gerasimov stated that Russian forces had regained control of “more than 1,100 square kilometers” of territory occupied by the Ukrainian army since August, representing “over 86% of the previously occupied area.”
He further explained that in the past five days alone, Russian forces had recaptured 24 towns and 259 square kilometers of the Kursk region.
The Russian Chief of General Staff also claimed that his forces had “isolated” Ukrainian troops in the region and captured 430 Ukrainian soldiers during their recent advances.
On the other hand, Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi acknowledged on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had retreated in Russia’s Kursk region under the pressure of advancing Russian troops.
He wrote on Facebook: “In the most difficult situations, my priority has been and will remain to save the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. For this purpose, defense forces units carry out maneuvers toward more advantageous positions when necessary.” The term he used is often employed by both Moscow and Kyiv when referring to military withdrawals.
Syrskyi added that the battles were still “ongoing” in the outskirts of the city of Sudzha, which he described as “almost destroyed.” He concluded by saying, “Despite increasing pressure, we are maintaining defensive lines in the Kursk region as long as necessary,” thereby ruling out a complete withdrawal from Russian territory.
