Days after Ukrainian troops seized part of Russia’s Kursk region in a surprise attack, President Vladimir Putin told defense officials their "main objective” was to repel the invasion. Six months later, they’re still trying.
Putin’s failure to expel Ukraine’s army from Russian territory may gain added significance as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for a deal to end the war. While Russian troops continue to gradually advance on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv retains a bargaining chip in Kursk for a potential exchange of territory at any talks.
The first occupation of Russian soil by a foreign military since World War II is a personal setback for Putin, whose domestic image is based on being a strong ruler defending the nation’s interest. The Kremlin has sought to play down the crisis since Ukrainian forces crossed the border on Aug. 6 and rapidly advanced to seize as much as 1,250 square kilometers of territory, including the town of Sudzha and dozens of villages.
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