Putin Makes Rare Admission About Ukraine's Incursion As Troops Push Further Into Russia

    Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting of the Council for Science and Education via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.

Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region is proving “very difficult” for Moscow, as Kyiv’s forces push deeper into Russian territory.

Analysts suggest that Ukraine has expanded its incursion by approximately three miles this week, following a series of battalion-sized mechanized assaults in Kursk. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that geolocated footage indicates significant advances by Ukrainian troops.

For months, Putin has largely dismissed the presence of Ukrainian forces on Russian soil. However, in a rare admission, he recently addressed the issue. According to a Kremlin transcript, Putin told Kursk’s acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein, that the situation in the region remains “very difficult.”

“It has been exactly two months since we last met here, and I instructed you to organize efforts in the Kursk region. The situation there is very difficult,” Putin stated. “The most important task I set for you was to connect with people and address their concerns. There are indeed many problems.”

While Putin avoided specifying the reasons for these difficulties, Khinshtein referenced “infrastructure destroyed by the enemy” and praised Russian troops for “heroically liberating our land.” Notably, neither explicitly mentioned Ukraine.

Kyiv’s forces established a foothold in a small section of Russian territory last August, two and a half years after Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The move aims to force Moscow to split its military resources between offensive and defensive operations.

Despite Ukraine’s advances, its territorial control in Kursk is far smaller in scale than Russia’s occupation of roughly 20% of Ukraine. Experts note that Putin has largely ignored Ukraine’s presence in Kursk, with the ISW suggesting that Moscow has deprioritized efforts to expel Ukrainian forces.

“Putin has yet to prioritize pushing Ukrainian forces out of Kursk Oblast, instead continuing gradual advances in Donetsk Oblast,” the ISW report stated. “Despite domestic dissatisfaction, he has delayed reclaiming Kursk’s border areas.”

Meanwhile, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported on X that Russia has lost key military support from its ally North Korea.

“North Korean units deployed in offensive operations in Kursk Oblast have temporarily withdrawn from frontline positions, likely to rest and refit before redeploying,” the MoD stated. “This is almost certainly due to heavy losses sustained in attacks against Ukrainian-held positions.”

Despite these setbacks, Russia continues to make incremental gains in Ukraine. Moscow captured approximately 320 square kilometers of territory in January 2025, compared to 400 square kilometers in December 2024.

While most of Russia’s frontline advances have been relatively minor, its forces recently seized the Ukrainian stronghold of Velyka Novosilka. Russian territorial gains also accelerated throughout 2024, with over 700 square kilometers taken in November alone.