Russias Defense Ministry said Saturday that its forces recaptured the second-to-last village in the Kursk region still held by Ukrainian forces, coming just weeks after Moscow staged a surprise counteroffensive in the crucial border town of Sudzha.During offensive operations, systems of the Northern Group of Forces liberated the town of Oleshnya, the Russian Defense Ministry saidin a declaration released on Telegram.Ukraines amaze attack into the Kursk area in August marked the biggest ground offensive against Russia given that World War II.
In recent months, Russian troops have taken back much of the area Ukrainian forces initially recorded in the border region.In March, hundreds of Russian special forces crawled 15 kilometers through an unused section of pipeline, which when carried Russian gas to Europe through Ukraine, in order to bring out a sneak attack on Ukrainian forces in Sudzha.With Oleshnya now under Russian control, the only town in the Kursk area still held by Ukrainian forces is Gornal, around 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Oleshnya.Also on Saturday, a Ukrainian drone strike on a vehicle in Russias Kursk region killed a woman and injured a man and a child, Acting GovernorAlexander Khinshteinsaid on Telegram.AFP contributed reporting.