Russia says it has retaken another village in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian forces have successfully pushed Ukrainian troops out of one of their last remaining strongholds in Russia’s Kursk region, officials confirmed on Saturday.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that their forces have gained control over the village of Oleshnya, located on the border with Ukraine.

“The ‘North’ military group has successfully liberated the village of Oleshnya in the Kursk region during active offensive operations,” stated the ministry. The Associated Press was unable to independently verify this claim, and there has been no immediate response from Ukrainian authorities.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, fighting is ongoing to remove Ukrainian forces from the village of Gornal, located approximately seven miles south of Oleshnya.

“Russian military forces are still engaged in combat to drive out the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Gornal in order to fully secure the Kursk region. Intense fighting is currently taking place in the area,” reported the agency, citing Russian security sources.

Russian and North Korean troops have significantly weakened Kyiv’s position by reclaiming most of the region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion last year.

In other news, the Ukrainian Air Force disclosed that Russia launched 87 explosive drones and decoys in the latest series of attacks overnight into Saturday. Of these, 33 were intercepted, while 36 were lost, likely due to electronic interference.

Russian attacks resulted in damage to farms in the Odesa region and triggered fires in the Sumy region overnight, as reported by Ukraine’s State Emergency Service on Saturday. Fortunately, the fires were contained, and there were no reported casualties.

On the other hand, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that their air defense systems successfully shot down two Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday.