The Russian presidency, the Kremlin, said in a statement that Gerasimov informed Putin that Ukrainian army units had been completely defeated in the Kursk region.
For his part, Putin announced, in a video clip released by the Kremlin on Saturday, that Ukraine's attack on Russia's Kursk region had failed miserably, stressing that this would pave the way for future successes for the Russian military.
Putin congratulated the victorious Russian military units, adding that "the Kyiv regime's adventure ended in complete failure." He emphasized that the Ukrainian army's losses would be reflected across the entire combat frontline.
He added: "The complete defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border region creates conditions for our troops to carry out successful operations in other important sectors of the front and brings the defeat of the new Nazi regime closer."
Putin is seen in the video receiving a report from Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, who informed him that Ukrainian forces had been expelled from the last part of the Kursk Oblast they had controlled since their August 2024 offensive. Gerasimov confirmed to Putin the role played by North Korean soldiers in Russia's military successes in Kursk.
There was no immediate official comment from Kyiv on the matter.
In early August, the Ukrainian army entered the Kursk region in southern Russia, opening a new front in the war.
Following violent clashes with the Russian army, the Ukrainian army rapidly advanced into the region, seizing control of an area of 1,268 square kilometers. A month later, the Russian army gradually began retaking residential areas previously under Ukrainian control.
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has launched a military attack on its neighbor, Ukraine, and has made ending the offensive conditional on Kyiv abandoning its membership in Western military entities. Kyiv considers this "interference" in its affairs.
