Russian forces are reportedly nearing complete control of the western Kursk region, having driven Ukrainian troops out of one of their last remaining strongholds there, according to statements from local officials and Russian state media on Tuesday.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense released dramatic footage purportedly showing the recapture of the village of Guyevo. The video, set to cinematic music, depicted smoke billowing from buildings, a Russian soldier waving the national flag from the shattered window of an Orthodox church, and troops sweeping homes to ensure no Ukrainian soldiers were hiding. While Reuters verified the location based on archival and satellite imagery, it could not confirm when the footage was filmed.
Ukraine has yet to respond directly to Russia’s claims. However, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that its forces had conducted airstrikes on military infrastructure in Kursk, targeting facilities used by Russian drone teams and support personnel. That claim has not been independently verified by Reuters.
Since a surprise Ukrainian raid into Kursk territory last August that caught the Kremlin off guard, Moscow has been determined to reassert dominance in the area. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had hoped that capturing a portion of Russian soil could provide leverage in future negotiations. But recent weeks have seen Russia steadily reclaim lost ground, steadily pushing Ukrainian forces closer to the border.
Russia has also launched limited operations in Ukraine’s neighboring Sumy region, signaling an expansion of hostilities. President Vladimir Putin has previously hinted at establishing a "buffer zone" inside Ukrainian territory.
Alexander Khinshtein, Kursk’s regional governor appointed by Putin in December, hailed the Russian flag’s return to Guyevo as a sign that full control of the region was within reach.
Just Two Settlements Left to Recapture
The TASS state news agency, citing an unnamed military insider, reported that Russian forces only need to oust Ukrainian troops from two more settlements—Gornal and Oleshnya—to reestablish complete control of Kursk. While Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have defeated Ukrainian forces in clashes near those areas, it appeared the settlements remained contested. Reuters could not confirm those details independently.
According to Ukraine’s DeepState war tracking map, Ukrainian troops now hold just 58 square kilometers (around 22 square miles) of territory within Russia’s Kursk region—a sharp reduction from the estimated 1,400 square kilometers controlled last year.
President Zelenskiy, speaking Monday, acknowledged for the first time that Ukrainian operations were also taking place in Russia’s Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. He described the cross-border actions as defensive, aimed at deterring further Russian aggression in Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions. “The war must be brought back to where it began,” he said.
The ongoing conflict, now in its third year, has devastated entire communities, resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties, and triggered a global crisis in East-West relations not seen in decades.