Russia Claims to Have Routed Last Ukrainian Forces in Kursk Border Region

Ukrainian troops have maintained a foothold within Russia’s western Kursk border region since launching a surprise attack there in August.

Ukrainian servicemen operate a Soviet-made T-72 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on Aug. 12, 2024. Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images

The Russian military said its forces have retaken the last settlement that Ukrainian forces held in the Kursk region, after eight and a half months of fighting.

“Today, the last settlement on the territory of the Kursk Region, the village of Gornal, has been liberated from Ukrainian troops,” Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov announced on April 26 in a statement carried by Russian state-run news agency TASS.