Ukrainian forces have been driven entirely out of Russia’s Kursk region, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Saturday, citing a briefing given to President Vladimir Putin by Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff.
Kyiv, notably silent so far, hasn’t responded to the claim.
In a rare moment of public celebration, Putin praised his troops, hailing the Ukrainian offensive as a “complete failure” and declaring that their defeat along the border had paved the way for future Russian advances elsewhere on the front.
Back in August 2024, Ukrainian troops had stunned Moscow by seizing around 1,300 square kilometers (roughly 500 square miles) of Russian territory — a daring move they hoped would strengthen their hand in eventual peace talks. But the tide has steadily turned. By early 2025, Ukraine’s grip on the captured land was slipping fast.
Adding a twist to the story, Gerasimov confirmed that North Korean troops had fought alongside Russian forces during the Kursk battles. These soldiers, he said, showed “courage, resilience, and skill” while standing “shoulder to shoulder” with Russian troops in repelling the Ukrainian push.
The update comes as major diplomatic moves unfolded thousands of miles away. In Vatican City, U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a brief but crucial meeting inside St. Peter’s Basilica, right after attending the pope’s funeral. Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhii Nykyforov said the leaders agreed to continue ceasefire discussions later that day — a sentiment echoed by White House Communications Director Steven Cheung.
Trump, who touched down in Rome on Friday, had already taken to social media urging Ukraine and Russia to engage in “very high-level talks” to end the grinding three-year conflict. His envoy, Steve Witkoff, even met with Putin earlier that day. According to Trump, both sides are inching closer to a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, the violence inside Ukraine hasn’t slowed. Overnight Russian strikes killed three people — two in the eastern town of Yarova and one in the Dnipropetrovsk region. Several others, including an 88-year-old woman and an 11-year-old girl, were wounded, local officials reported.
Ukraine’s air force said it managed to shoot down 66 out of 114 drones launched by Russia overnight, with another 31 decoy drones failing to reach their targets. On the other side, Russia’s defense ministry claimed its air defenses took down 45 Ukrainian drones in the same timeframe.
As peace talks quietly gather momentum, the battles raging across Ukraine serve as a grim reminder: the war is far from over.
