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The Kremlin has claimed that all Ukrainian troops have been pushed out of Russia’s Kursk region and for the first time confirmed the role of North Korean soldiers in the fighting.
Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported on Saturday to President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine’s forces inside Kursk had been repelled, nine months after their surprise incursion – which was the first by a foreign army into Russian territory since the Second World War. Gerasimov claimed Ukraine had suffered “huge losses”.
“The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” Putin said in a carefully orchestrated video meeting that aired on state television.
Ukraine contradicted Russia’s version of events; a senior official told the Financial Times that Putin’s claim was “bullshit”. The official insisted that Kyiv’s forces still hold ground in the Kursk region, although the amount of territory it controls has fallen to about 30 sq km from the roughly 1,300 sq km it captured in August.
The Kremlin’s claim came as US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met briefly at the Vatican before the funeral of Pope Francis. It was the first time they had seen each other in person since their explosive meeting in the Oval Office in February.
Trump said that Russia and Ukraine were “very close” to agreeing a deal after his special envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Friday for a fourth round of talks.
But on Saturday in a post on Truth Social after meeting Zelenskyy, the US president questioned Putin’s willingness to end the war. “There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns over the last few days,” he wrote.
“It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through “Banking” or “Secondary Sanctions?” Too many people are dying!!!”
Putin struck a defiant note on Saturday. “The complete defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border area creates conditions for further successful actions by our troops in other important areas of the front,” he told Gerasimov.
Gerasimov praised the North Korean troops for their bravery, saying they fought “shoulder to shoulder” with their Russian comrades. More than 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to the region, according to the Ukrainian, South Korean and American governments. Moscow had not previously officially acknowledged their presence.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Russia’s claims “do not correspond to reality”, calling them “a propaganda ploy” and “wishful thinking”.
It said its “defensive operation . . . in certain areas in the Kursk region continues”. “The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold certain positions and carry out assigned tasks, while inflicting effective fire damage on the enemy from all types of weapons, including active defence tactics.”
It said that five enemy assaults had been repelled and that another battle was under way, adding that there was no threat of encirclement of its units, which also remain present in Russia’s neighbouring Belgorod region. That operation is small in comparison to Kursk, however; Zelenskyy has said the goal is to create a “buffer zone” to prevent future Russian assaults from the region.
Ukraine shocked Russia last August when its forces stormed across the border into Kursk, seizing on the element of surprise to bring the war home to Russia, take hundreds of prisoners of war and a chunk of land, including the town of Sudzha.
The army was willing to take the risk in a bid to seize the momentum on the battlefield. While it boosted morale and led to the release of hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war, Zelenskyy’s goal of holding on to the territory as a bargaining chip has floundered.
On Saturday Russian officials gave North Korea much of the credit for its role in pushing back Ukraine’s forces, with Gerasimov praising its troops for their “heroism” in battle.
The North Korean soldiers found success in assaulting the Ukrainian frontline in small groups backed by artillery and air support. They quickly became known for their determination and allegiance to their leader, Kim Jong Un. Ukraine captured two, who remain imprisoned in Kyiv.
Pyongyang had also provided Moscow with more than 200 domestically-produced 170mm M1989 self-propelled howitzers and updated 240mm multiple launch rocket systems for the fight in Kursk region, according to Ukrainian intelligence shared with the FT.
“We will never forget our friends,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on social media in praise of Pyongyang’s contribution to the war.