Russia said on Monday its armed forces had recaptured another village in Kursk region, as they push back Ukrainian forces from their last strongholds in the Russian border region, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had liberated Goncharovka - one of the few remaining villages in the region still under Ukrainian control.
„During the offensive operations, units of Group „North“ "liberated the village of Goncharovka," the ministry said in a statement, quoted by TASS.
There has been no official comment from Kiev on the information so far, Reuters notes.
According to Ukraine, at the peak of its sudden invasion of western Russia, its forces controlled about 100 villages. The invasion began on August 6 last year and was aimed at diverting Russian forces from eastern Ukraine and providing bargaining chips for negotiations, Reuters notes.
However, Russian forces, with the support of their ally North Korea, have gradually regained the captured territories and increased pressure on Ukraine, cutting off its supply lines.
Russian President Vladimir Putin this week ordered his commanders to complete the task of pushing the last Ukrainian troops out of the area as soon as possible. According to him, Ukrainian servicemen will have to “surrender or die“.