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The Kremlin has claimed that all Ukraine troops have been driven by the Russian Kursk region and for the first time confirmed the role of North Korean soldiers in fighting.
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported on Saturday to President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine’s forces within Kursk had been repulsed, nine months after their unexpected incursion – which was the first by a foreign army in Russian territory since World War II. Gerasimov claimed that Ukraine had suffered “big losses”.
“The adventure of the Kyiv regime has failed completely,” Putin said in a carefully orchestrated video meeting broadcast on state television.
Ukraine opposed the version of Russia’s events; A senior official told Financial Times that Putin’s claim was “Bullshit”. The official insisted that Kyivi’s forces still hold ground in the Kursk region, although the amount of territory it controls dropped to about 30 km of approximately 1,300 square kilometers it caught in August.
The Kremlin’s claim came as US President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met briefly at the Vatican in front of the Francis Pope funeral. It was the first time they had seen each other personally since their explosive meeting at the Oval office in February.
Trump said Russia and Ukraine were “very close” to agree on an agreement after his special envoys Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Friday for a fourth round of talks.
But Putin seemed to suggest Saturday that he intended to continue the war. “The full loss of the enemy in the Kursk border area creates conditions for further successful actions from our bodies in other important areas of the front,” he told Gerasimov.
Gerasimov praised the troops of North Korea for their bravery, saying they fought “shoulders on the shoulder” with their Russian friends. More than 12,000 North Korean troops settled in the region, according to the governments of Ukraine, South Korea and America. Moscow had not previously accepted their presence.
Ukraine’s general staff said Russia’s claims “do not correspond to reality”, calling them “a propaganda ploy” and “desired thought”.
He said that “his defensive operation … in certain areas in the Kursk region continues.” “The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold certain positions and perform certain tasks, while causing effective fire damage to the enemy from all types of weapons, including active defense tactics.”
He said that five enemy attacks had been repulsed and that another battle was taking place, adding that there was no threat to the siege of its units, which also remain present in the neighboring region of Belgorod. This operation is small compared to KASK, however; Zelenskyy has said the goal is to create a “buffer zone” to prevent future Russian attacks from the region.
Ukraine rocked Russia last August when its forces attacked the Kursk border, capturing the element of surprise to bring home war in Russia, to receive hundreds of prisoners of war and part of the land, including the city of Sudzh.
The army was ready to take danger in an attempt to capture momentum on the battlefield. As it increased morality and led to the release of hundreds of prisoners of the Ukrainian war, Zelenskyy’s intention to hold in the territory as a bargain.
On Saturday, Russian officials gave North Korea much of the loan for its role in the push of Ukraine forces, with Gerasimov praising its troops for their “heroism” in battle.
North Korean soldiers found success in attacking Ukraine’s front line in small groups backed by artillery and air support. They soon became known for their determination and loyalty with their leader, Kim Jong Un. Ukraine caught two, who remain inmates in Kyiv.
Pyongyang had also provided Moscow more than 200 self-sopropied 170 mm M1989 M1989 and updated 240 mm multiple Rocket Systems for the Kursk region, according to Ukrainian intelligence divided with FT.
“We will never forget our friends,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova wrote on social media in praising Pyongyang’s contribution to the war.
