Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his country has recaptured Kursk, the border region where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive last year, though Kyiv insists its troops are fiercely battling to preserve its foothold in the territory.

Nearly nine months after losing chunks of the Kursk region to a surprise Ukrainian incursion, Russia has announced that its troops have fully reclaimed the border territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said Ukraine's army was still fighting in Russia's Kursk a day after Moscow claimed the "full liberation" of its western region.