Russian troops have recaptured 28 settlements in Kursk region in the past week and taken control of the village of Novenke in neighboring Ukraine's Sumy region, Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday, as quoted by Reuters.
Russia has significantly accelerated its offensive to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops seized control of 100 settlements during their surprise incursion into Russian territory in August 2024.
Ukraine says its forces controlled about 100 settlements at the peak of their surprise incursion into western Russia. It began on August 6 last year and was intended to divert Russian forces from eastern Ukraine and provide bargaining chips for negotiations, Reuters reports.
However, Russian forces, with the support of their ally North Korea, have gradually regained the captured territory and increased pressure on Ukraine, cutting off its supply lines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin this week ordered his commanders to complete the task of pushing the last Ukrainian troops out of the area as soon as possible. He said Ukrainian servicemen would have to "surrender or die."