MOSCOW: Russia’s defense ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had retaken two villages in the Kursk region, which had been captured by Ukrainian troops during a surprise offensive that began on August 6.
The ministry’s statement marks a rare acknowledgment of reclaiming territory since Ukraine initiated its aggressive campaign, which had forced approximately 150,000 Russians to evacuate from the border area.
According to the defense ministry, the Russian military conducted ongoing offensive operations that resulted in the liberation of Novaya Sorochina and Pokrovsky. In support of its claims, the ministry released a video allegedly showing the capture of Pokrovsky, featuring drone footage that depicted a devastated village landscape, with many houses missing roofs and windows or completely destroyed.
Novaya Sorochina is located near the Ukrainian border, while Pokrovsky is situated deeper within Russian territory. The defense ministry described Pokrovsky as a stronghold for Ukrainian forces, claiming that Russian paratroopers stormed the village, causing Ukrainian servicemen to flee their positions in panic.
“The actions of our troops continue to target the enemy group that has penetrated into the territory of the Kursk region,” the ministry stated, noting that Russian forces had repelled Ukrainian attacks on two villages near Pokrovsky.
Since the onset of the conflict, Russia has asserted its commitment to expelling Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region. In mid-September, the defense ministry had claimed that Russian forces had regained control of 12 villages in the area.
However, shortly thereafter, a spokesperson from Ukraine’s military administration remarked that Russia’s counter-offensive to reclaim territory had been “stopped.”
Ukraine has maintained that its offensive aims to establish a buffer zone in the region to prevent shelling of its border territories. At the end of August, Ukrainian officials reported control over approximately 100 Russian settlements and nearly 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of territory.
