On Monday, Russia announced that its military had regained control of two villages in the western Kursk region from Ukraine, as part of what Moscow describes as a significant counter-offensive. Russian forces have been engaged in combat with Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region since August 6, when Ukraine launched the largest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War II, catching Moscow off guard.

The report from Russia’s Defence Ministry regarding the recapture of the villages Uspenovka and Borki, located approximately 12 miles (20 km) apart near the border with Ukraine’s Sumy region, could not be independently verified by Reuters. A senior Russian commander and pro-Kremlin military bloggers claimed last week that Russia had regained control of around 10 settlements in the area, a statement that Reuters was unable to confirm.

Ukraine asserts that its forces maintain control over approximately 100 villages in Kursk, covering an area exceeding 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles), a claim disputed by Russian sources. Concurrently, Russian forces are advancing in eastern Ukraine towards Pokrovsk, a crucial rail and logistics center for Ukrainian operations.

Capturing this location would represent a significant step towards Russia’s goal of seizing the entire Donetsk region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Friday that Ukraine’s incursion into Kursk had hindered Russian advances in eastern Ukraine.

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin contends that the assault on Kursk has diverted Kyiv’s attention on the eastern front, thereby weakening its defenses. Over the weekend, Russia and Ukraine conducted two prisoner exchanges involving hundreds of prisoners of war, with many of the Russian soldiers having been captured while defending Kursk, according to the defense ministry.