Russian military to Putin: operation in Kursk region not yet complete
The acting commander of the 810th Marine Brigade of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet reported to President Vladimir Putin that Russian forces are currently engaged in "clearing forest areas to the west and south of the settlement of Hornal" in the Kursk region. "In the near future, all scattered enemy groups and individual soldiers will be eliminated," stated the acting brigade commander in a video report published by Russia's Channel One.
The day before, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov informed the president about the "completion of the operation to liberate the Kursk region," and Putin personally congratulated him on the "complete defeat of the enemy in the Kursk border area," as well as "all personnel, all fighters and commanders for this success, this victory" .
On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the "defensive operation of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in certain areas of the Kursk region continues." "The operational situation is challenging, but Ukrainian units continue to hold certain positions and apply, among other things, the tactic of active defense," added the Ukrainian General Staff.
Meanwhile, Russian pro-war Telegram channels also report that fighting in the region continues. According to them, Ukrainian forces have maintained positions in at least three settlements - Otrub, Hornal, and Oleshnya. "We will definitely not celebrate the complete liberation of the Kursk region today. Victory for the residents of the Kursk region is not the transformation of part of the settlements into a gray zone, where it is dangerous to travel," wrote military correspondent Roman Alekhine.
Military correspondent Yuri Podolyaka noted that the village of Gornal, which Gerasimov reported as liberated to Putin, is "not entirely liberated," adding that there are still "pockets of enemy resistance" in the region. Russian military correspondent Yuri Kotenok reported that "there remain minor pockets of resistance by Ukrainian forces" in the vicinity of the village of Oleshnya, while in the hamlet of Otrub in the Glushkovsky district, "the adjoining territories are under enemy control."
The Ukrainian OSINT project DeepState called the Russian army’s announcement of the completion of the Kursk operation “fake,” but acknowledged that the situation is “developing unfavorably.”
According to DeepState, the Kursk operation is still ongoing, with Ukrainian forces engaging in battles against Russian and Korean troops—targeting enemy logistics, concentration areas, and more.
The offensive military operation by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region began on August 6, 2024, roughly 2.5 years after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and aerial bombardment of its cities.