Putin's silence on Kursk region: A shift amid slower military progress

According to the new agency, Putin mentioned the Kursk region only once in his speeches in January. He did so in a greeting to prosecutors, where he urged law enforcement to "pay special attention to resolving the problems of citizens in Donbas and the Kursk region."

Agentstvo.Novosti claims that this is the first time since the start of the Ukrainian Armed Forces operation in the Kursk region that the Kremlin leader has hardly spoken publicly about events in the area.

At the same time, Putin spoke most about the Kursk region in August, when Ukrainian forces broke through the border, and in December when he summarized the year's events.

It is noteworthy that such disregard for events in the Kursk region is observed precisely in January when the advance of Russian troops in the area seriously slowed down. In particular, the total area of combat operations decreased by 33.4 square kilometers. According to DeepState data, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to control 439.5 square kilometers of Russian territory, with another 187 square kilometers in the gray zone.

The news agency noted that now Putin, instead of the Kursk region, more often talks about other topics. In particular, he mentioned the new US President Donald Trump twice in January.

Fighting in the Kursk region

In January, North Korean soldiers sent to the Kursk region to assist the Russian forces suffered a setback. They lacked the experience to counter drones and artillery.

At the same time, according to The New York Times, the North Korean soldiers were pulled from the front after suffering heavy losses.

Anonymous sources from the outlet revealed that North Korean soldiers have not been seen at the front in the Kursk region for about two weeks.