Over the weekend, the Russian president announced that the entire Kursk region had been liberated and that all remaining Ukrainian troops had been forced out of Russian territory.
At the same time, Moscow also confirmed that North Korean troops had participated and played a significant role in the fighting.
It was on Saturday that Putin announced that the last Ukrainian forces had been driven back from Kursk in connection with the capture of the small community of Gornal, 1 kilometer from the border.
– The defeat of the armed formations of the Ukrainian armed forces that invaded Kursk Region has been completed, confirmed Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, adding that Kiev’s plans to “create a so-called strategic bridgehead and to disrupt our offensive in Donbass have failed”.
It was in August last year that Ukraine launched a large-scale and initially successful offensive in the region, forcing Russia to focus on trying to slow it down.
Over time, however, the roles were reversed, with Ukraine finding it increasingly difficult to gain new ground and Russia instead regaining previously lost territory. The latest Russian counteroffensive began in early March, and it is this that is now said to have led to the collapse of the last Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
“Huge losses”
– The enemy’s complete rout in the borderline Kursk Region creates conditions for further successful operations by our troops in other major frontline areas and brings the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime closer, declared Russia’s leader, who has long argued that the “de-Nazification” of Ukraine is of utmost importance to Russia.
– The Kiev regime’s venture has failed completely while the huge losses suffered by the enemy, in particular, those among the most combat-fit, best prepared and equipped Ukrainian army units, including the formations provided with Western equipment – and these are assault units and special operations forces – will undoubtedly have their impact along the entire engagement line, he continued.
According to Russian figures, 76,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed or wounded during the offensive and thousands of tanks and other military vehicles have been lost.
Praise for North Korean soldiers
It is also noteworthy that Russia officially acknowledged that North Korean troops played a significant role in the fighting – and special thanks were extended to them.
According to Gerasimov, the North Koreans distinguished themselves and “demonstrated high professionalism, courage, and heroism in battle”.
Although the fighting in the region is over, the Russian army’s work in Kursk is not finished. The focus is now on searching for “individual Ukrainian armed forces service members attempting to hide on Russian territory”, according to reports.
