The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim Saturday that Russian forces had fully retaken the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an offensive last year.
In a statement after Putin made the announcement, the Ukrainian military says their operation “in certain areas in the Kursk region continues.”
The statement by Ukraine says the situation is “difficult” but that “our units continue to hold certain positions.” Putin’s announcement is “nothing more than a propaganda ploy,” the statement said.
Ukraine said it also still has active troops in certain areas of the Belgorod region of Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov with the report that all Ukrainian troops have been forced from Russia’s Kursk region, during their meeting via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, April 26, 2025.
Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP
In a video statement Saturday, Putin claimed that Russian forces have retaken all of Kursk, the Russian region northeast of Ukraine where Ukrainian forces had launched an offensive and managed to hold territory since the summer of 2024.
Putin congratulated military personnel and said Ukraine’s offensive “has completely failed.”
Servicemen of the 56th Air Assault Brigade of the Russian Army Sever (North) Group of Forces attend the Orthodox Easter service amid Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, in Kursk region, Russia, April 19, 2025.
Sergey Bobylev/Sputnik via AP
Moscow had been trying to push Ukrainian forces out of Kursk since they seized a chunk of the border region in a daring August offensive, marking the first time that Kyiv’s forces had seized and held significant Russian territory since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
Russian forces, supported by North Korean troops, had been slowly trying to reclaim ground in the region over the past several months.
U.S. President Donald Trump, meanwhile, criticized the recent attacks by Russia in Ukraine, suggesting on his social media platform Saturday that Putin may not want to stop the war in Ukraine.
“With all of that being said, there was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,” Trump said.
