Kyiv, Ukraine – Russia has expelled the Ukrainian forces of one of its last remaining support points in the Kursk region in Russia, authorities said on Saturday.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, its forces took control of the village of Olheshnyya, on the border with Ukraine.
“The units of the Military Group ‘Norte’ have released Olhnyya’s village in the Kursk region during active offensive operations,” the ministry said in a statement. Associated Press could not immediately verify the claim and there was no immediate response from Ukrainian officials.
According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Russia is still fighting to expel the Ukrainian forces of the village of Gornal, about seven miles (11 kilometers) south of Olhnya.
“The Russian army has not yet expelled the Ukrainian armed forces of Gornal … to completely release the Kursk region. Fierce fighting are underway in the agreement,” said the agency, citing Russia’s security agencies.
Russian and North Korean soldiers have almost deprived kyiv of a key negotiation chip when recovering most of the region, where Ukrainian troops organized a Surprise incursion last year.
In other developments, the Ukraine Air Force reported that Russia triggered 87 drones and explosive lures in the last wave of attacks during the night until Saturday. He said that 33 of them were intercepted and another 36 were lost, probably having been electronically stuck.
Russian attacks damaged the farms in the Odessa region and caused fires in the Sumy region during the night, the Ukraine state emergency service said on Saturday. Fires were contained and victims were not reported.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems knocked down two Ukrainian drones during the night until Saturday.
