President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered his army to "fully liberate" Russia's Kursk region after days of pushing back Ukrainian troops that have held territory there since August.
"I am counting on the fact that all the combat tasks facing our units will be fulfilled, and the territory of the Kursk region will soon be completely liberated from the enemy," Putin said in televised remarks during a visit to Russian troops fighting there.
Russia has captured 430 Ukrainian soldiers fighting in the Kursk region, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff, told Putin in a televised meeting.
Putin said the captured fighters should be "treated as terrorists, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation," suggesting they could face trials in Russian courts and be jailed for decades.
With AFP
Comments