Vladimir Putin visits Kursk for first time after expelling Ukrainian forces, praises local volunteers

In this photo released by the Russian Presidential Press Service on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2nd left, attends a meeting with volunteers at Kursk region, Russia. (Picture credit: AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first visit to the Kursk region since Moscow declared it had fully ousted Ukrainian forces from the border area, the Kremlin confirmed on Wednesday. The unannounced trip took place on Tuesday, with Putin visiting Kurchatov city and inspecting the under-construction Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2.During his visit, Putin also met with local volunteers, many of whom were seen wearing symbols of Russia’s invasion, the Latin letters “Z” and “V”, as shown in Russian state media broadcasts. Addressing them, Putin said, “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’s trip comes just weeks after Russia, with support from up to 12,000 North Korean troops, claimed to have reclaimed Kursk following a rare Ukrainian incursion in August 2024. The operation marked the first time since World War II that foreign forces occupied Russian territory, dealing a major blow to Moscow’s military image. Kyiv had managed to hold parts of the region for months, executing the surprise move in secrecy as a way to expose Russian vulnerabilities and disrupt attacks in Donetsk.While Russia insists Kursk is now under full control, Ukraine maintains its troops still hold a thin line of territory across the border. On Wednesday, Ukraine’s Army general staff said it repelled 13 Russian assaults in the area, and its battle maps continued to show activity near the frontier.As per CNN, Putin’s visit appeared aimed at demonstrating resolve to both international and domestic audiences amid increasing Western pressure to accept a 30-day ceasefire. A phone call between Putin and US President Donald Trump earlier this week reportedly failed to yield any concrete progress on peace talks. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin was open to a ceasefire “for a certain period of time,” but no timeline was set.During the visit, Putin told acting Kursk governor Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin supported continuing monthly payments of around $800 to families displaced by the fighting. He also backed the idea of a regional museum to honour what Khinshtein described as “the heroism of our defenders and the heroism of the region’s residents,” reported AFP.According to Russian defence ministry statements cited by news agency AP, Moscow’s air defences destroyed 159 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 53 over Oryol and 51 over Bryansk. On the Ukrainian side, drone attacks reportedly killed two people and injured five others in Sumy, while four members of a family were hurt in Kyiv after debris from a downed drone struck their home.Despite the visit and Moscow’s claims of control, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week, “We are continuing our active operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions – we are proactively defending Ukraine’s border areas.”Though Kyiv hoped to use Kursk as leverage in any future negotiations, analysts say the incursion did not significantly shift the broader dynamics of the war.