Putin admits Ukrainian soldiers remain in Kursk Oblast after boasting about region's recapture

Russian forces have fully recaptured the territory of Kursk Oblast, the Kremlin claimed on April 26. But despite the declaration of victory, President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on April 30 that Ukrainian soldiers remain in the region, Russian state-controlled media reported.

Speaking at an event in Moscow, Putin said the remaining Ukrainian forces are asking commanders for evacuation. “They’ve been pushed out of Kursk Oblast, but remnants are still hiding in cracks and basements, asking to be evacuated,” Putin said.

The Russian president’s remarks follow his April 26 phone call with top military commanders in the region, in which he praised what the Kremlin described as a successful operation to expel Ukrainian troops from Kursk Oblast.

Ukraine dismisses the claims of recapture. According to Ukraine’s General Staff, fighting in certain areas of Kursk Oblast continues.

“The situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold certain positions and carry out tasks as assigned,” the military said on April 26, adding that there is no threat of encirclement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on April 27 that active defensive operations are ongoing in the Kursk and neighboring Belgorod oblasts.

Russian state media RIA Novosti on April 27 quoted the acting commander of Russia’s 810th Brigade, who reported to Putin that “scattered groups and individual soldiers” of the Ukrainian Armed Forces “will soon be destroyed.”

Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first major foreign ground offensive into Russian territory since World War II. The operation sought to delay a planned Russian push into Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast and redirect Russian forces away from eastern Donetsk Oblast.

Moscow began a major counteroffensive in early March, retaking large portions of territory including the town of Sudzha. Ukrainian forces have since withdrawn from much of the area but claim to still maintain limited control in some zones.

On April 26, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov for the first time acknowledged the participation of North Korean troops in the campaign, praising their "fortitude and heroism."

Kyiv and Seoul have previously said that North Korea has dispatched around 11,000 troops to Kursk Oblast, though Moscow has not openly confirmed this until now.

600 North Korean troops killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, South Korea says

North Korea has suffered about 4,700 casualties in total, including both dead and wounded, South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun said.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy