Russia Claims Kursk Border Region Recaptured, But Ukraine Reports Ongoing Fighting

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his nation has regained control of Kursk, the frontier area where Ukraine initiated a sudden attack last year, although Kyiv maintains that its forces are strongly fighting to maintain their position. the territory .

"The venture of the Kiev administration has utterly failed," Putin stated on Saturday, commending the Russian troops he claimed had vanquished the Ukrainian army. the region in what would be a symbolic boost for the Kremlin at a crucial point in the war with the US expressing growing impatience with the Russian leader for stalling on peace talks.

Senior Ukrainian military leaders have challenged Putin's assertions, cautioning that Moscow has not yet reclaimed control over these battle zones—meanwhile, Kiev's forces still maintain a significant presence in the area.

"Oleh Shyriaiev, an army commander, stated in a voice message on Sunday that Russia hasn’t fully liberated the Kursk area up to 100%. According to him, Russian troops continue their efforts as they 'press forward' and attempt a counter-attack," he explained to The News Pulse.

“We are working, fighting,” he added. “These are not territorial successes… But successes in destroying enemy armoured vehicles and personnel.”

The News Pulse cannot independently confirm battlefield reports, but both sides have been having difficulty achieving advances in other areas along the front lines.

Shyriaiev’s 225th regiment was one of the initial forces to enter Kursk in August during Ukraine's surprise offensive. This rapid capture of territory marked the first time since World War II that an external force had invaded Russian soil.

Ever since, Russia, backed by North Korean troops, has been battling to drive Ukraine’s forces out of its border regions. Meanwhile, Kyiv has invested significant resources in maintaining control over this area, seeing it as a crucial element for negotiation in potential future talks. peace talks The mission was initiated to alleviate stress from the strained frontlines in the east.

In his speech, Putin stated that retaking Kursk "provides the opportunity for our forces to carry out further successful operations in other critical sectors of the frontline."

In a message posted on Telegram, Valery Gerasimov, who leads Russia’s armed forces, expressed his gratitude to the North Korean troops, commending their "great expertise, resilience, bravery, and valor in combat."

Ukrainian authorities and Western intelligence agencies have determined that approximately 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to combat in Russia.

The local administration is striving to reinstate a "normal existence" in Kursk, according to Gerasimov, with efforts focused on clearing landmines and disposing of unexploded munitions. They are also searching forests, cellars, and derelict structures for any leftover Ukrainian combatants, he further stated.

If Putin’s assertions hold up, the possibility of leveraging Kursk for negotiations appears unlikely, and Ukraine’s withdrawal could undermine both Kyiv’s political influence and its military’s spirits following three years of conflict and significant endeavors toward achieving peace.

Although the US has tried to facilitate peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia over the past few months, disagreements among the leaders of these nations have resulted in minimal progress being made.

A hectic week in diplomatic affairs witnessed U.S. President Donald Trump accusing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of complicating efforts to resolve the conflict due to his reluctance to acknowledge Russia's annexation of Crimea. However, Trump subsequently mentioned that both Russia and Ukraine were "very near to an agreement."

On Saturday morning, during the funeral for the recently deceased Pope Francis held in the Vatican, Zelensky briefly met with Trump regarding possible peace discussions. A representative from the White House described the session as "constructive," whereas Zelensky expressed gratitude towards Trump for the discussion. writing on X that it "holds the potential to be historic if we attain shared success."

Later on Saturday afternoon, Trump suggested imposing additional sanctions on Russia due to their launch of deadly wave of attacks on Kyiv last week.

"There wasn't any justification for Putin to launch missiles into civilian regions, cities, and towns during the past several days," Trump stated in a Truth Social posting.

It leads me to believe that perhaps he isn’t interested in ending the conflict; instead, he might be merely manipulating me. This situation requires a different approach—possibly via 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions'? The death toll is far too high!!!

This story has been updated.

Daria Tarasova-Markina, Kevin Liptak, and Victoria Butenko from The News Pulse provided contributions for this report.

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