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The Russian army has announced the complete liberation of the Kursk border region from Ukrainian forces, Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin during a video conference on Saturday.
Ukraine had reportedly hoped to retain territory in Kursk as leverage in any potential future peace negotiations with Russia, which has occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine since launching its military offensive in 2022.
“Today, the last settlement in the Kursk region, the village of Gornal, has been freed from Ukrainian forces,” Gerasimov stated during the briefing with Putin.
Putin responded by declaring that “the Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” thanking Russian soldiers for their service.
He added that securing Kursk would enable Russia to create favourable conditions for further offensives along other sections of the front.
Following the claimed victory, Russian forces are now positioned at the border and are expected to intensify operations against Ukraine’s Sumy region, which lies adjacent to Kursk. Moscow has already staged several cross-border raids into Sumy in recent weeks.
Gerasimov also praised the “heroism” of North Korean soldiers involved in the operation, noting that they “provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces.”
South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have previously reported that more than 10,000 North Korean troops were dispatched to Russia last year to assist Moscow during Ukraine’s unexpected counteroffensive in the Kursk area.
