Russia vows to destroy last of Kyiv’s army in Kursk

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a report of Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov via video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia. —SPUTNIK/ALEXANDER KAZAKOV POOL VIA REUTERS

MOSCOW—A Russian military commander has told President Vladimir Putin that “the scattered remnants” of the Ukrainian army remaining in Russia’s Kursk region will soon be destroyed, the state RIA news agency reported on Sunday.

“At the moment we have recaptured the settlement of Gornal and are entrenched in its streets, which is completely under our control,” the commander was cited as saying, adding that Russian troops continue to clear forest areas west and south of Gornal.

Putin on Saturday hailed what he said was the complete failure of an offensive by Ukrainian forces in Kursk after Moscow said they had been expelled from the last village they had been holding.

Kyiv said its forces had not been completely expelled from Kursk and said they were also still operating in Belgorod, another Russian region bordering Ukraine.

Reuters

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