Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region for the first time since Russia said they expelled Ukrainian forces in the region in April.
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Putin had visited Kursk on the border with Ukraine the day before.
The Ukrainian forces made a surprise foray into Kursk in August 2024 during the greatest cross -border raid by the forces of kyiv in the war of almost 2 and a half years, before being expelled by Russian troops nine months later. Ukraine has not confirmed its expulsion from the region.
Putin visited the Kursk-2 nuclear power plant, which is still under construction, and spoke during a closed meeting with selected volunteers. He also told the acting governor Alexander Khinshtein that the Kremlin had supported the idea of ​​continuing monthly payments to displaced families who could still not return home.
Unhappy residents had previously shown their disapproval of a lack of compensation in rare organized demonstrations.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses had shot down 159 Ukrainian drones across the country during the night, including 53 in the Oryol region and 51 in the Bryansk region.