12:02⇢Russia Declares Complete Liberation Of Kursk Region
⌨The newspapers extensively report that Russian forces have fully liberated Kursk region from Ukrainian troops, nearly nine months after the initial Ukrainian incursion (Interfax, Izvestia, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Lenta, Moscow Times, NTV, RBC, TASS). Putin has congratulated and thanked Russian soldiers for the "complete defeat" of Ukrainian forces in the region (Izvestia, Komsomolskaya Pravda, Lenta). Chief of General Staff Gerasimov specifically acknowledged the contribution of North Korean military personnel in the operation (Lenta, RT). According to Komsomolskaya Pravda, Russian forces are now advancing toward Sumy, while RIA Novosti describes the situation for Ukrainian forces as "catastrophic."