Putin makes first visit to Kursk since Russia claimed to have recaptured the region
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk for the first time since Moscow claimed to have completely recaptured the region following a surprise incursion by Ukrainian forces last year, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.
Putin met with municipal leaders in the city of Kurchatov and visited the Kursk nuclear power plant, which is currently under construction, the Kremlin said, according to TASS.
Video footage posted by Russian state media showed Putin dressed in a suit speaking with what appeared to be local volunteers.
The news agency did not report when the visit took place.
Last August Ukraine launched a shock incursion into Kursk, swiftly capturing territory in what was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II.
Since then, Russia, with support from North Korean soldiers, has been fighting to oust Ukraine's forces from its borders, while Kyiv poured precious resources into holding onto its territory there, with the view of using it as a key bargaining chip in any peace talks.
Putin claimed last month that Russian forces had recaptured Kursk and said North Korean soldiers took part in the fighting to recover territory in the region.
Kyiv has insisted its troops are fiercely battling to preserve their foothold in the territory.
Last week Ukraine said it is still pursuing the ground war inside Russia.
'We are continuing our active operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions – we are proactively defending Ukraine's border areas,' President Zelensky said in his nightly address last Wednesday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Czech Leader Calls on Trump to Give Europe More Time to Rearm
By and Kriti Gupta Save Czech President Petr Pavel called on the US to give Europe more time and realistic goals to take care of the continent's security and contain an increasingly aggressive Russia. European nations can't secure a lasting peace in Ukraine without American help and President Donald Trump is right to demand that they significantly ramp up defense spending, said Pavel, a former top-ranking NATO general. But it would take years to replace some protections now provided by Washington, he told Bloomberg Television in an interview in his office in Prague.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
A Digital Dollar Is a Trade War Weapon
Are trade wars good for tech after all? Circle Internet Group Inc., a major issuer of digital currencies designed to replicate the US dollar, has tripled in value since going public and is worth $23.6 billion (or 150 times last year's earnings). Call it Zuckerberg's revenge: Six years after Meta Platforms Inc. sparked a global backlash with its own plans for a digital dollar, the $250 billion stablecoin market is booming and has the backing of Donald Trump, Congress and investors. Europeans are watching the froth with concern. Even as the Louvre Museum this week hosted a crypto conference full of buzz at the prospect of more traditional financial institutions like Goldman Sachs Group Inc. or Societe Generale SA dipping their toe in this market, officials fear virtual currencies are a serious financial threat for the continent and an extension of Trump's ambitions of bringing global trade to heel. And they may be right to worry.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia boasts world's top nuclear force, must improve ground forces, Putin claims
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Moscow possesses the world's most advanced nuclear systems but must significantly strengthen its ground forces, Russian state media reported on June 11. As Russia continues its war against Ukraine, Moscow has increased investment in its military. Russian defense spending has reached its highest level since the Cold War at 6.3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Putin claimed that Russia's nuclear triad has the highest share of new equipment among nuclear powers. "Currently, the share of modern weapons and equipment in the strategic nuclear forces is already 95%. This is a good indicator, in fact, it is the highest of all nuclear powers in the world," Russian state media reported Putin saying. Putin then called for Russia's ground forces to be improved as quickly as possible. "The dominant force in conducting modern military operations of any scale and intensity remains the ground forces. And it is important to increase their combat capabilities in the shortest possible time," he said. Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Russia first began its armed aggression against Ukraine in 2014, when its proxies occupied territory in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed Crimea. Russia regularly strikes civilian infrastructure in its ongoing war against Ukraine. On June 11, a Russian drone attack on Kharkiv killed at least three people and injured 64 others. Read also: Putin's suspected daughter found working in anti-war galleries in Paris We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
