Russia said on Tuesday that its troops had retaken over 100 square kilometers (38.6 square miles) of territory and 12 settlements in the Kursk region of western Russia in a drive to eject the Ukrainian army from there.
"Units of the North group of forces liberated 12 settlements during the offensive... and more than 100 square kilometers of the territory of the Kursk region," Russia's defense ministry said.
Ukrainian troops seized at least 1,300 square km (500 square miles) of the Kursk region in August in what Kyiv said was an attempt to gain a bargaining chip in future negotiations and to force Russia to shift forces from eastern Ukraine.
It was the most serious attack on Russian territory since the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, and seen as a way for Ukraine to embarrass the Kremlin by taking a chunk of Russian land.
By mid-February, Russia had taken back at least 800 square km (300 square miles) of territory there. In recent days it launched a major paratrooper offensive from multiple directions that threatens to cut off Ukraine's supply lines and potential routes of withdrawal.
Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report.
