The Kremlin announced on Saturday that the operation to retake Russia's Kursk region from Ukrainian forces has been completed. According to presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported this to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Putin congratulated the Russian military for their "courage, heroism, and service to the Fatherland," and praised all personnel and commanders involved in the operation. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces lost more than 75,870 personnel during the fighting in the Kursk direction.

The announcement comes as attention turns to a brief meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during their brief visits to the Vatican.