Putin urges troops to 'fully liberate' Kursk from Ukraine

President Vladimir Putin has expressed hope his army was on the brink of "fully liberating" Russia's Kursk region, as Ukraine hinted it was pulling troops back in the face of rapid Russian advances.

In his first visit to the region since Ukraine launched its shock counter-offensive in August, Putin, dressed in army camouflage, hailed on Wednesday recent gains and urged his troops on.

"I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy," he said in televised remarks.

Russia's forces have retaken 24 settlements in the border region over the last five days, chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin.

Minutes after footage of Putin's remarks aired on Russian state TV, Ukraine's army commander suggested his troops were pulling back to minimise losses.

"In the most difficult situation, my priority has been and remains saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers. To this end, the units of the defence forces, if necessary, manoeuvre to more favourable positions," commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said in a Facebook post, in language typically used to describe a withdrawal.

He added, however: "Despite the increased pressure from the Russian/North Korean army, we will hold the defence in the Kursk region as long as it is appropriate and necessary."

Ukraine and its allies say more than 10,000 North Korean troops are fighting for Russia in Kursk.

Gerasimov said Russia had captured 430 Ukrainian soldiers in the region, while Syrsky said 942 Russians had been taken as prisoners of war.

'Treated as terrorists'

Putin said the captured Ukrainian soldiers should be "treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation," suggesting they could face trials in Russian courts and be jailed for decades.

Russia has already put several captured Ukrainian soldiers on trial for "terrorism".

The Geneva Convention prohibits putting captured fighters on trial for their involvement in armed hostilities.

Gerasimov said Russia had retaken around 1,100 square kilometres of territory in the Kursk region — the vast majority of what Ukraine initially seized in its shock August 2024 incursion.

He accused Kiev of trying to use the incursion into Kursk to halt Moscow's advances in eastern Ukraine and divert manpower from the frontline in the Donbass region.

The Russian success on the battlefield comes as the United States says it wants Russia to agree "unconditionally" to a complete 30-day ceasefire — a plan Kyiv has endorsed.

Ukraine had hoped to use its hold on the Kursk region as a bargaining chip in peace talks with Moscow.