Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Monday that he would “take command” of the Ukrainian soldiers involved in the attack on the Kursk border region since the beginning of August, while stressing that the operation would not “stop” the advance of his forces in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine's surprise attack on Russian territory on August 6 forced about 130,000 people to flee, and as a result, Kiev took control of parts of the Kursk border region.
Since then, Moscow forces have continued to advance in eastern Ukraine and have resisted withdrawing their soldiers from the occupied Ukrainian regions towards Kursk.