By Samuel Eugene
Russia has claimed victory in the Kursk region, eight months after Ukraine’s military stormed into Russian territory in a surprise counteroffensive.
Russia’s Chief of Staff, Valery Gerasimov, made the declaration during a video conference with President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, stating that Russian troops had “liberated” the last village in Kursk still under Ukrainian control: Gornal.
“The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” Putin told Gerasimov.
However, Ukraine quickly rebuked the claims, asserting that some soldiers remain in the territory. “Statements by the enemy leadership about the ‘defeat’ of the Ukrainian troops are nothing more than propaganda tricks,” said Ukraine’s Chief of Staff.
Meanwhile, Russian soldiers released images on Friday of the defensive equipment left behind by Ukrainian forces during the fierce counterassault launched by the Russian military to recapture the Kursk region.
President Zelensky had aimed to use this portion of the Kursk territory as leverage in future peace talks with Russia. However, due to his reluctance to engage in talks, he has now lost that advantage.
Following the claimed victory in Kursk, North Korean leadership praised its forces fighting alongside Russian troops in the region and congratulated Russia for reclaiming the territory. Moscow has also praised the battle-hardened troops sent by its ally Kim Jong-un after foreign mercenaries from the Western bloc had joined the fight against Russia in 2022.
In announcing the Russian advance, Gerasimov also lauded the “heroism” of North Korean soldiers in Kursk, saying they “provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces.”
According to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia last year to support Moscow’s efforts against Ukraine’s forces.
The claimed Russian recapture of Kursk came as Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed efforts to reach a “full and unconditional ceasefire” with United States President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral at the Vatican.
The Kremlin also stated on Saturday that Putin is ready to “resume negotiations with Ukraine without any preconditions.”
In addition to claiming victory in Kursk, joint Russian-North Korean forces have already launched several incursions in the Sumy region, breaking the formations and, in some places, seizing control of territory and weaponry left behind by the retreating Ukrainian forces.
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