Putin called the restoration of control over the Kursk region a “sacred duty” of the Russian army

Putin called the restoration of control over the Kursk region a “sacred duty” of the Russian army.

According to him, the situation in the Russian region “has already stabilized,” and the Russians “have started gradually pushing out” the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF).

In his view, Ukraine’s offensive on Kursk was an attempt to “make Russia rush and panic, to stop the advance in Donbas, but nothing worked.” He claims that, as a result, Kyiv “weakened itself on key fronts” by redeploying forces to Russia, and “the Russian army’s advance has accelerated,” with “territorial gains not seen for a long time.”

Putin asserts that the UAF is suffering heavy losses, which “threaten the collapse of the front and could lead to a loss of combat capability, which is what Russia is aiming for.”

According to Putin, the second goal of the UAF under Kursk was to “destabilize the domestic political situation in Russia.” He says this “did not succeed; society has consolidated.”

He also stated that Russia has never refused negotiations on Ukraine, but not based on “ephemeral demands,” rather on the basis of the Istanbul agreements (which called for Ukraine’s neutrality).

Putin claims that the West and Kyiv abandoned the Istanbul agreements to achieve a strategic defeat of Russia, “but they are not succeeding.”