Putin visits Russia's Kursk Region for first time since Ukraine's incursion

RT.com
13 Mar 2025, 00:28 GMT+10

The Russian president has listened to a report on military operations in the area

The Russian military must defeat the Ukrainian forces that invaded Kursk Region "as soon as possible," President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. He visited a command post in the region as Moscow's forces continue a major counteroffensive against Kiev's remaining troops in the area.

The president held a meeting with Russian military commanders during his visit and listened to a report by the Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov. Putin thanked the General Staff and the units fighting in the region for their efforts.

"Our goal is to inflict a defeat upon the enemy entrenched on the territory of the Kursk Region on short notice," the president said, adding that Moscow would consider creating a "security zone" along the border with Ukraine as well. The Ukrainian units that invaded the region should be treated as "terrorists," he stated, including any Ukrainian fighter taken prisoner in the area.

According to Gerasimov, the Russian military has liberated 259 square kilometers of territory, encompassing 24 towns and villages, in the past five days. Kiev's forces in the area are largely "encircled" and "isolated," the top general reported.

A video published by the Kremlin shows Putin wearing military fatigues and meeting Gerasimov in front of a building serving as a command post before going inside to meet other officers and commanders.

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