Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast was intended to slow the advance of Russian troops in the Donbass, but had failed because Kiev's forces had been weakened by other parts of the front, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Putin commented on the events during the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. He noted that Ukraine has transferred significant and well-trained military units to Russia, which he says has weakened Ukrainian forces and allowed Russia to accelerate its offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The president also said that Russia was fulfilling a “sacred duty” to defend its territory and noted that Russian forces have begun to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region.
Putin also commented on the French investigation against the founder of the application “Telegram” Pavel Durov, stating that he does not understand France's actions. He noted that he met Durov only once years ago, but has not been in touch with him since then.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also previously said there was no information about a meeting between Putin and Durov.
The French investigation against Durov is linked to allegations of crimes such as fraud, money laundering and the distribution of child pornography via Telegram. Durov's lawyers called the accusations absurd.
Putin also touched on the topic of prisoner swaps between Russia and the West, stressing that it was in the interests of all parties involved.