Putin visits Kursk region for first time since Ukraine’s incursion
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the town of Kurchatov in the Kursk region, which was recently partially occupied by Ukrainian forces, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
It was the Russian leader’s first trip to the region since a Ukrainian incursion last year.
Putin met with regional governor Alexander Khinshtein, volunteer organizations and local officials on Tuesday evening. He pledged continued support from Moscow for rebuilding efforts, particularly for housing damaged in the conflict, the Kremlin said.
The president also visited a unit at the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant Number 2, which is currently under construction.
Last August, Ukrainian troops launched a surprise offensive into the Kursk region and held a small swathe of territory for several months. Russia’s military declared the region “completely liberated” in late April.
Zelensky denies Russia has fully retaken Kursk
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, however, rejected those claims on Wednesday, saying Ukrainian units were still operating in the Kursk and Belgorod regions to defend the north-eastern Ukrainian cities of Sumy and Kharkiv.
Military observers in Ukraine also said Kiev’s forces still held several square kilometres in the Kursk region.
Zelensky added that Russian forces were continuing to launch attacks along the eastern front, with the fiercest fighting centred around the contested city of Pokrovsk.
Ukraine’s general staff said Russian forces had launched 104 attacks across the front lines on Wednesday, including 43 around Pokrovsk.
In his statement, Zelensky also said preparations were ongoing for a prisoner exchange agreed with Russia last week in Istanbul. Both sides plan to release 1,000 prisoners each.
Sumy region under fire
The Ukrainian region of Sumy, which sits just across the border from Kursk, has been under sustained Russian bombardment for months.
Industrial facilities and power lines were damaged by overnight drone attacks, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said on Wednesday, and part of the regional capital is without power.
Separately, Ukrainian authorities said that six soldiers were killed and more than 10 others wounded in a Russian missile strike on a military training ground in Sumy.
The National Guard of Ukraine announced the casualties on Facebook, adding that investigations have been launched.
Russia’s Defence Ministry on Tuesday evening released drone footage purporting to show a missile strike on a Ukrainian unit near the town of Shostka. According to Moscow, the attack was carried out using an Iskander ballistic missile and killed up to 70 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed an ammunition depot and military equipment.
Ukrainian members of parliament indirectly confirmed the strike shortly after the video was released, though they did not provide casualty figures.
Ukrainian drones disrupt Moscow air traffic
Ukrainian drones disrupted air traffic in the Russian capital Moscow throughout Wednesday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced on Telegram.
Sobyanin posted repeatedly that one or more enemy drones had been shot down on the outskirts of the metropolis. By the evening, the number had risen to more than 27 intercepted drones, although these figures could not be independently verified.
Due to the danger in the air, the aviation authority Rosaviatsiya had to repeatedly stop take-offs and landings at Moscow’s airports. Russia’s largest airport, Sheremetyevo, as well as Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports were particularly affected.
The aircraft tracker Flightradar24 showed that many planes bound for Moscow were taking detours or flying in holding patterns.
Russia has been waging a full-scale war against Ukraine for more than three years. Ukraine is defending itself and trying to bring the war back to the aggressor’s country. However, the damage caused by Ukrainian drones is much smaller than the devastation caused by Russian drones and missiles in Ukraine.
