Russian officials announced today that their troops are trying to evacuate the last Ukrainian soldiers from the Kursk region. The surprise attack on Kursk has gone down in history as the largest assault on Russian territories since the Nazi occupation in 1941.

Russian officials stated that their troops are struggling to push out the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region on the border. Seven months ago, Ukraine launched a surprise attack on the area to divert Moscow’s attention and gain a bargaining chip.

BIGGEST ASSAULT ON RUSSIAN TERRITORIES In one of the most striking battles of the three-year Ukrainian war, Ukrainian forces advanced towards Kursk on Russia’s western border in August 2024. This attack marked the largest assault on Russian territories since the Nazi occupation in 1941. However, a sudden counterattack this month reduced the area under Ukrainian control to around 110 square kilometers. Kiev claimed to have seized more than 1,368 square kilometers in 2024.

THEY CONTINUE TO FIGHT BACK Pro-Russian military bloggers reported that Russia managed to push back Ukrainian forces towards the border in some areas, but intense clashes persisted as Ukrainian forces responded while withdrawing. Both Ukrainian and Russian battlefield maps indicated Ukrainian forces merging on the Russian side of the border in Kursk. Russia claimed to have cleared numerous mines in the region. Putin accused Ukrainian soldiers of committing crimes against civilians in Kursk, while Kiev denied these allegations. Ukraine stated that around 11,000 North Korean soldiers were fighting alongside Russia in Kursk.