Putin visits Kursk region: new phase of war with Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the Kursk region for the first time since the Ukrainian Armed Forces began their operation in the region, TASS reported.

Command meeting and military reports

On March 12, Putin held a meeting at one of the command posts of the Kursk Group of Forces. The Kremlin did not provide information about the exact location of the meeting.

Dressed in white camouflage, Putin listened to a report from the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov. The Rossiya-24 television channel broadcast videos from the meeting.

Gerasimov said that Russian troops have occupied more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory in the Kursk region. According to him, 24 settlements have been liberated in the past five days, and Russian troops have also entered the Sumy region.

Gerasimov noted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region are "isolated" and their planned liquidation is underway. According to the Russian General Staff, the Ukrainian army has lost more than 67,000 servicemen in the region.

Putin's statement and security issues

Putin set the military the task of "defeating the enemy in the shortest possible time and completely liberating the Kursk region." He noted that in the future it will be necessary to think about creating a security zone on the Russian state border.

Putin also said that all Ukrainian servicemen captured in the Kursk region should be treated as “terrorists”, adding:

“First of all, based on Russian law, we must treat these people as terrorists. We treat all people humanely and should continue to do so in the future. At the same time, I would like to remind you that foreign mercenaries are not included in the 1949 Geneva Convention.”

Ukrainian offensive and return of territories

In August 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces captured a number of settlements in the Kursk region. After the United States stopped providing intelligence to Ukraine, Russian troops retook some of these territories in March.

On March 12, pro-war Telegram channels in Russia posted videos showing soldiers planting a Russian flag in the center of Sudzha. Ruslan Leviev, founder of the Conflict Intelligence Team investigative project, said that the city of Sudzha was almost completely under Russian control and that the Ukrainian army was leaving the area without a fight.

Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Kursk region could mark a new stage in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. As the Russian military continues to retake control of the territories, the Ukrainian army is expected to reconsider its strategy. These developments could further complicate the military-political situation in the region. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”