Putin visits Kursk for 1st time since pushing Ukraine out of border region

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited his country’s border region of Kursk for the first time since Moscow claimed it retook control of the region following an incursion by Kyiv last year.

A statement from the Kremlin issued on Wednesday said that Putin met with representatives of volunteer organizations a day earlier, and also held talks with Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein.

It further said that Putin also met with the heads of municipalities in the region in the city of Kurchatov, as well as visited the nearby Kursk II Nuclear Power Plant under construction.

The Kremlin later shared footage of his talks with representatives of volunteer organizations, during which Putin claimed Ukrainian forces are “trying to move towards the border,” without elaborating further.

Ukrainian authorities have not immediately commented on Putin’s claim.

In August 2024, Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia’s border region of Kursk, with its forces entering the area near the town of Sudzha, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

At its peak, Kyiv claimed it had captured more than 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of the border region, but has since been gradually pushed out by a Russian counteroffensive that included troops from North Korea.

Last month, Russia declared that all Ukrainian forces had been fully pushed out of the region, which Kyiv denies.