The Russian military said it had pushed Ukrainian forces out of a settlement called Guyevo in Russia's Kursk region and had carried out air and artillery strikes on Ukrainian troops across the border.

On Tuesday, Russia's Defence Ministry said it had retaken the settlement of Guyevo.

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue to crush the Ukrainian army formations on the territory of Kursk region," the ministry said in a statement.

It said its forces had also defeated Ukrainian troops in fighting around two other settlements.

Reuters could not verify the battlefield claims.

But Russia has retaken a swath of territory inside Kursk in recent months, pushing the Ukrainians closer towards the border. It has also begun to take territory in Ukraine's neighbouring Sumy region after Putin spoke of the possibility of carving out a buffer zone.

Gaining control

Russia has been trying since August last year to eject Ukrainian forces from Kursk after Kiev's troops mounted a surprise incursion which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hoped would give him a bargaining chip in any future talks.

Ukraine's authoritative DeepState war map shows Ukraine in control of about 58 square kilometres (22 square miles) of Russian territory in Kursk, down from as much as 1,400 square kilometres claimed by Kiev last year.

Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time on Monday that Ukrainian troops have also been active in Russia's adjacent Belgorod region.

The state RIA news agency quoted Russian commander Apti Alaudinov as saying on Friday that the situation in the Belgorod region was "under control" after the Ukrainian army tried to break through the border around two weeks ago.

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Source: TRT