The Russian main military commander stated on Saturday that Moscow’s forces had withdrawn the last village that Ukraine held in the Kursk region in western Russia, although Ukrainian officials denied that their Brazni campaign was finally over.

The Russian claim was presented by General Valery V. Gerasimov, who managed the invasion of Ukraine and the defense of Russia as the head of the General Staff. His statement arrived six weeks after His forces have taken over everything but the tiny sliding of Russian territory This Ukraine kept a surprise to the Russian region of the West Buck last summer.

In a television video, General Gerasimov reported to President Vladimir V. Putin, who won the village of Gorna, on the border with Ukraine on Saturday. In an interview with Mr. Putin via a video relationship, General Gerasimov said that progress “completed the defeat of the Ukrainian armed forces that attacked the region of the ditch.”

The Ukrainian General Staff denied that its forces had completely withdrawn from the region, saying that the military operation in the country was in progress.

“The operational situation is difficult, but our units continue to hold their positions,” General Staff said in a statement.

The expulsion of Ukrainian troops from the Russian region of Kursk could remove one of the main complications that pushed the peace negotiations pushed by President Trump, whose special envoy Steve Witkoff, Met with Mr. Putin More than three hours in Moscow on Friday to talk about an agreement that could end the conflict.

Ukrainian forces transferred across the border to Kursk in August, quickly overpowering Russian positions, occupying many prisoners and seizure The small town of Judgmentabout six miles across the border. Invading, the first in Russian territory since World War II, was a great embarrassment for Moscow and led to some of the bloodiest conflicts of war, while Ukrainian forces fought to hang on to the territory.

Officials in Kiev claimed that they could ultimately trade Russian land for the Ukrainian occupied territory in peace negotiations, but Moscow drew a line in the sand, saying that she would not get involved in any conversations in these lines.

Days after the Ukrainian invasion of the region, Mr. Putin said that the attack was Kyiv, who rejected possible negotiations with Russia. This year, Kremlin said that the only outcome for the territory would mean the Russian forces that defeated Ukraine there.

Last week, said Constantin Remchukov, a prominent newspaper editor in column That Mr. Putin was determined in the fight until the Ukrainian forces were completely drawn from the Kurk region.

In the video on Saturday, General Gerasimov also noted that the North Korean troops had helped to abolish Ukrainian forces from Russian territory. It was the first official confirmation of Russia about their involvement, which are Ukrainians and independent analysts had documented.

Mr. Putin said the Ukrainian offensive in the region of the “fuck” completely failed. “

At the height of her intrusion, Ukraine controlled about 500 square kilometers of Russian territory. But the amount of the country was not so significant because Ukraine hoped that it would be in the negotiations to end the war, despite the efforts of Ukraine to highlight its gains in Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine included the odds of land exchange as part of the plan that presented to President Joseph R. Biden Jr. -In two candidates who fought to replace him, Kamala Harris and Donald J. Trump, on a trip to the United States in the fall.

However, by the time Mr. Trump returned to duty in January, the Russian forces assisted Thousands of North Korean troops. North Koreans suffered severe losses and were briefly pulled out of a fight to a rebukeReturn in early February, according to Ukrainian soldiers and officials.

At the end of February, the Ukrainian forces lost about two -thirds of the country they originally seized. In March, They lost to Judahthe capital that kept on the Russian side of the border and kept only a small piece of land.

Russian main attack on Ukrainian forces in the region came as a United State suspended and military assistance And, more significant, intelligence sharing with Ukraine. While the position of Ukraine in Kursk was already at risk, stopping in dividing intelligence data limited ability to Ukraine Precisely targeted on Russian command and control posts, logistical centers and hull concentrations, US officials and Ukrainian soldiers said.

Military analysts were divided over the wisdom of Gambit from the beginning.

Some who thought Kiev needed to direct their resources in Eastern Ukraine were criticized by the deployment of some of the best soldiers of Ukraine, who were supposed to focus on their resources, especially since those lines were slowly under the relentless Russian pressure last year.

But the Ukraine’s general military commander, General Oleksandr Syrsky, claimed that the invasion had drawn the attention of Russia on the defense of his own territory. Ukrainian officials also said that the offensive dick gave up the fear of “red lines” of Kremlin over the attacks on Russian territory, helping to persuade Bidnist administration to raise limitations about the use of Western weapons against goals to Russian land.

Maria Varenikov contributed to reporting from Kiyiva, Ukraine.