Ukraine-Russia war latest: Kyiv accuses Putin of ‘propaganda tricks’ over claims to have recaptured Kursk
Ukraine has denied Russian president Vladimir Putin’s claim that his forces have regained full control of the border region of Kursk, insisting that fighting is still ongoing.
“The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” Mr Putin said on Saturday, congratulating Russian troops on what he described as a victory over Ukraine’s surprise offensive.
However, Ukraine’s military called the Russian claim “propaganda tricks”. “The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold their positions and perform their assigned tasks,” it said.
Ukraine’s military reported six combat engagements in Kursk on Saturday, saying at least one fight was still ongoing as of 4pm Kyiv time (1pm GMT), as it accused Russia of carrying out nearly 150 artillery strikes throughout the day.
Meanwhile, Russia’s FSB said it had detained a man allegedly involved in the car bomb killing of a senior general near Moscow – a blast it blamed on Ukraine, though Kyiv has not responded.
On Saturday, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky sat down in the Vatican following Pope Francis’ funeral, their first face-to-face meeting since a clash in the Oval Office, to discuss a possible ceasefire. The White House described the meeting as “very productive”.
