Putin visits Kursk region for first time since Moscow said it drove out Ukrainian forces

The Ukrainian Army General Staff said on Wednesday evening that its operation “in the designated areas in the border regions of Kursk continues” and ”although the conditions remain difficult, Ukrainian defenders hold their positions, fulfill their tasks and inflict effective damage on the enemy.” Its map of military activity showed Ukrainian troops holding a thin line of land hard against the border but still inside Russia. Many of the volunteers wore clothes emblazoned with the Russian flag, some had the Latin letters “V” on them, one of the symbols of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “What you are doing now during this difficult situation for this region, for this area, and for the country, will remain with you for the rest of your life as, perhaps, the most meaningful thing with which you were ever involved,” Putin said as he drank tea with the volunteers.