Putin called for the liberation of the Kursk region. Russian forces allegedly captured 430 Ukrainian soldiers, said Chief of Gerasimov General Staff.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to television shots on Wednesday, visited troops in the Russian Kursk region involved in the fighting against Ukrainian troops and heard a report about their procedure. TASR refers to AFP report.
Putin is on the shots in camouflage clothes and talks to the Chief of General Staff Valerij Gerasim. Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, confirmed a visit to the Kursk region for the Russian news agencies.
“I rely on the fact that all the combat tasks that stand in front of our units will be fulfilled and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely free from the enemy,” Putin said in a television speech.
They captured Ukrainian soldiers
According to the state agency TASS, this is the first visit to the Russian President in the area from the surprising offensive of Kiev in August 2024.
Gerasimov stated in the pictures that Russia had taken 430 Ukrainian soldiers. Putin said that the captured should “treat as terrorists in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation”. This suggests that they could be judged by Russian courts and imprisoned for decades, writes AFP.
Ukrainian forces unexpectedly invaded the Russian Kursk region in August and occupied approximately 1300 square kilometers in two weeks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj claimed that the aim of this military operation is to alleviate pressure on Ukrainian troops fighting against Russian forces in the east of Ukraine. At the same time, they wanted to force Moscow to redirect the resources to defend their own territory, and also to provide Kiev’s potential advantage in future peace negotiations.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Russian forces are able to recover the lost territories, including several villages. Russian troops allegedly also entered the town of Sudža – the largest city, which Kiev occupied during his surprising offensive.
