Putin announces full liberation of Kursk Region: Key takeaways
- He made the remarks while being briefed on the frontline situation by the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov.
HERE ARE THE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE BRIEFING:
On Saturday, Russian troops liberated the village of Gornal, which is 1km from the border, and was the last remaining Ukrainian-controlled settlement in Kursk Region, Gerasimov said.
”The defeat of the armed formations of the Ukrainian armed forces that invaded Kursk Region has been completed,” he stated.
Kiev’s plans “to create a so-called strategic bridgehead and to disrupt our offensive in Donbass have failed.”
Road to victory- Early on in the incursion, Russian forces managed to halt Ukraine’s advance, and later forced it to switch to defensive operations, Gerasimov said.
- Subsequent flanking counterattacks isolated Kiev’s spearhead, allowing Russia to destroy the enemy forces in a piecemeal fashion as it regained ground.
The final push to liberate the region began in early March, the general stated, highlighting a daring infiltration deep into Kiev-controlled territory through an underground pipeline near the town of Sudzha, which led to a complete collapse of the Ukrainian defenses.
Ukraine’s elite units decimated
- These losses will “certainly be reflected along the entire line of combat,” he said.
- more than 76,000 servicemen killed and wounded, and
- the loss of more than 7,700 units of military equipment, including
North Korean assistance
- Gerasimov confirmed that Russia’s military effort in Kursk Region was supported by North Korean troops, whose assistance was provided under the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership signed last year.
- The soldiers and officers of the Korean People’s Army have “demonstrated high professionalism, courage, and heroism in battle,” the general said.
Return to peaceful life
Russian forces are now carrying out a sweeping operation to find “individual Ukrainian armed forces service members attempting to hide on Russian territory,” Gerasimov said.
He added that the military is providing assistance to the local authorities to “restore peaceful life,” with demining teams deployed to the region.
