Putin visited Russia’s Kursk region for first time since Moscow said it drove out Ukrainian forces

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia s Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month the Kremlin disclosed Wednesday Related Articles Two of the last functioning hospitals in northern Gaza are encircled by Israeli forces staff say Pope Leo XIV calls for aid to reach Gaza and an end to hostilities in his first general audience South Africa s leader aims to salvage relationship with Trump in White House visit Nowadays in History May Clara Barton founds American Red Cross Venezuela frees US Air Force veteran considered wrongfully detained his family says Putin visited the region bordering Ukraine the previous day according to the Kremlin Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August in one of their biggest battlefield successes in the more than three-year war The incursion was the first time Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating blow to the Kremlin Since the end of Russia has mostly had the advantage on the battlefield with the exception of Kursk Putin has effectively rejected fresh U S and European proposals for a ceasefire Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday accused Kyiv s allies of seeking a truce so that they can calmly arm Ukraine so that Ukraine can strengthen its defensive positions North Korea sent up to troops to help the Russian army take back control of Kursk according to Ukraine the U S and South Korea Russia disclosed on April that its forces had pushed out the Ukrainian army Kyiv executives denied the claim Ukraine says it stopped Russian attacks in Kursk The Ukrainian Army General Staff explained Wednesday that its forces repelled Russian assaults in Kursk Its map of military activity demonstrated Ukrainian troops holding a thin line of land hard against the limit but still inside Russia Putin s unannounced visit appeared to be an effort to show Russia is in control of the conflict even though its full-scale invasion of its neighbor has been slow and costly in terms of casualties and equipment In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Amenity on Wednesday May Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Russian Defense Ministry Press Provision via AP In this photo disclosed by the Russian Presidential Press Arrangement on Wednesday May Russian President Vladimir Putin nd left attends a meeting with assistants at Kursk region Russia Russian Presidential Press System via AP In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Facility on Wednesday May Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Russian Defense Ministry Press System via AP Show Caption of In this photo taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Amenity on Wednesday May Russian servicemen attend a combat training for assault units in an undisclosed location in Ukraine Russian Defense Ministry Press Amenity via AP Expand Video broadcast by Russian state media manifested that Putin visited Kursk Nuclear Power Plant- which is still under construction and met with selected helpers behind closed doors A large number of of the participants wore clothes emblazoned with the Russian flag and the Latin letters Z and V which are symbols of Russia s invasion of Ukraine What you are doing now during this tough situation for this region for this area and for the country will remain with you for the rest of your life as perhaps the the bulk meaningful thing with which you were ever involved Putin explained as he drank tea with the contributors Ukraine s surprise thrust into Kursk and its ability to hold land there was a logistical feat carried out in secrecy that countered months of gloomy news from the front about Ukrainian forces being pushed backward by the bigger Russian army Kyiv s strategy aimed to show that Russia has weaknesses and that the war isn t lost It also sought to distract Russian forces from their onslaught in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine The move was fraught with jeopardy Analysts noted that it could backfire and open a door for Russian advances in Ukraine by further stretching Ukrainian forces that are short-handed along the roughly -mile front line The incursion didn t significantly change the dynamics of the war Putin advised acting Kursk Gov Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin supported the idea of continuing monthly payments to displaced families that still couldn t return to their homes Putin reported that he would back a proposal to build a museum in the region to celebrate what acting Gov Alexander Khinshtein described as the heroism of our defenders and the heroism of the region s residents Disgruntled residents had previously shown their disapproval over a lack of compensation in rare organized protests Putin last visited the Kursk region in March when Ukrainian troops still controlled certain parts of the area He wore military fatigues a rarely seen sight for the Russian leader who usually wears a suit and visited the area s military headquarters where he was filmed with top generals Russia and Ukraine continue deep strikes with drones Russia s Ministry of Defense commented that its air defenses shot down Ukrainian drones across the country overnight including over the Oryol region and over the Bryansk region Flights were temporarily grounded twice at Moscow s Domodedovo and Zhukosky airports according to Russia s Federal Air Journey Agency or Rosaviatsiya as representatives disclosed Ukrainian drones being shot down in the area In Ukraine Russian drone attacks killed two people and wounded five others in the northern Sumy region the regional administration noted In the Kyiv region four members of a family were injured when debris from a downed drone hit their home according to the regional administration Russia launched Shahed and decoy drones overnight at Ukraine the Ukrainian air force mentioned The Ukrainian army announced that its drones struck a semiconductor plant overnight in Russia s Oryol region about kilometers miles northeast of Ukraine According to the General Staff drones hit the Bolkhov Semiconductor Devices Plant one of Russia s key producers of microelectronics for the military-industrial complex It wasn t manageable to independently verify the claim Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine