President Vladimir Putin visited the western Russian region of Kursk on March 12, as Russian forces claim they had recaptured territory from the Ukrainian military.

Footage released by the Kremlin shows the Russian leader dressed in a pixilated military uniform, visiting a command post in Kursk used by Russian troops.

Ukraine launched its cross-border offensive into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August 2024. However, Russian forces, along with North Korean troops, continued to push back against Ukrainian control, according to The Kyiv Independent.

The recent escalation in Russian assaults on Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region follows US President Donald Trump’s March 4 announcement the United States would withdraw military and intelligence support for Ukraine.

On Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had liberated five settlements in Kursk.

Roman Kostenko, the secretary of Ukraine’s parliamentary defense committee, stated that while Ukrainian troops had not “completely withdrawn” from Sudzha, Russian forces had “partially entered” the city.

In a translated message, originally posted on Telegram, Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), wrote: “Fighting in Kursk is ongoing, and battles in the direction of Sudzha are also continuing. Reports of Sudzha’s capture by Russian forces are currently false.”

According to The Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a briefing that Ukrainian troops operating in Russia’s Kursk Oblast were continuing their missions despite mounting Russian pressure. Credit: Kremlin via Storyful