Moscow, 26 April 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Russian troops have regained full control of the border region of Kursk, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed President Vladimir Putin that the operation had been completed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian news agency Interfax.

Peskov said the developments marked the "liberation" of Kursk.

Ukrainian troops launched a surprise counter-attack in the western Russian region in early August, capturing dozens of towns.

Ukraine has so far not confirmed the full Russian recapture of Kursk, but Ukrainian troops have lost ground in the region in recent months.

"The dismantling of the armed formations of the Ukrainian armed forces that entered the Kursk region has been completed," Gerasimov said.

"The plans of the Kiev regime to create a so-called strategic bridgehead and disrupt our offensive in the Donbass have failed," he added, referring to the eastern Ukrainian region that has seen the heaviest fighting since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The move marks a significant blow for Kiev - and for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - amid attempts to reach a peace deal brokered by US President Donald Trump.

The counteroffensive in Kursk was seen as an attempt to secure a better bargaining position for Ukraine.

While Ukrainian troops initially gained up to 1,300 square kilometres of Russian territory, they were steadily pushed back over the winter, with Russia announcing the recapture of the region's main city Sudzha in March.

The Kursk offensive is believed to have taken a heavy toll on Ukrainian forces and ultimately left Kiev exposed on its eastern flank.

Photo: EPA