Russian forces have taken back more than 800 square km (309 square miles) of territory from Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia, or about 64% of the total taken by Ukraine since an incursion began last year,

In August, a strong Ukrainian force eventually numbering around 20,000 troops invaded Kursk Oblast in western Russia, aiming to draw Russian forces away from the front line in eastern Ukraine while also seizing part of the oblast as a bargaining chip for any future ceasefire negotiations.

President Vladimir Putin told Russian media on Feb. 18 that Russian forces had crossed into Ukrainian territory from Kursk Oblast, a claim General Staff spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovyi has dismissed as part of a disinformation campaign.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday Russia will never discuss trading the Ukrainian territory it holds for areas in Russia's western Kursk region held by Kyiv.

Russian forces are actively targeting logistics routes moving from Ukraine into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, launching fire strikes on everything moving in that direction from Sumy Oblast. Source: Ukrainian military-analytical project DeepState on social media Details: DeepState reports that the most dangerous section is currently Pysarivka-Yunakivka,

Putin announced that Russian troops crossed the border with Ukraine in the Kursk region and launched a large-scale offensive. "That's not true," denies Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Ukrainian government's Center for Countering Disinformation (CPD).