Russian forces halt Ukrainian advance in Kursk region

General Valery Gerasimov reassured Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that the army halted the Armed Forces of Ukraine's advance in the Kursk region. The Kremlin published a video of the meeting, which clearly showed the Russian president's reaction to the chief of staff's words.

"The actions of the units protecting the state border, along with the border guard and support units, missile force airstrikes, and artillery shelling, halted the enemy's advance deep into the territory towards Kursk," said General Valery Gerasimov, reporting on the situation in the Kursk region.

He added that the attack occurred on August 6 at 12:30 AM Eastern Time. "Ukrainian units numbering up to a thousand people started an offensive to capture part of the Sudzha region in the Kursk region," reports RIA Novosti.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia connected with Vladimir Putin via video link. It was reported that he is currently in one of the command posts. Putin was accompanied by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Secretary of the Security Council Sergei Shoigu, and FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov.

The Kremlin published a video of the meeting. Vladimir Putin's facial expressions stand out when Valery Gerasimov starts reporting on the situation in the Kursk region. The Russian president grimaced and sighed heavily.

There is a contradiction in the messages from the Russian authorities. "Just yesterday, the governor of the Kursk region assured that Ukrainian units were thwarted from even breaking through the state border. However, today, it turned out that these assurances were somewhat exaggerated. General Valery Gerasimov convinced Vladimir Putin that the troops advancing in the border region have just been stopped," notes the Belsat portal.

The governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, informed that local authorities "organized the evacuation of residents from the shelled areas and prepared temporary accommodation points." In a single day, several thousand people left the shelling and combat zone, reports the Russian agency RIA Novosti.