Russia claims gains in Kursk against Ukrainian forces

KYIV — Russia said on Saturday its troops had retaken three villages seized by Ukraine in its Kursk border region, in a fresh setback for Kyiv ahead of talks to try to end the conflict.

"In all directions of the Kursk section of the front, all units have launched a large-scale offensive," Major General Apti Alaudinov, commander of a Chechen unit in Kursk, said on Telegram. "The enemy is abandoning its positions."

Russia's Defense Ministry announced the recapture of three more villages: Viktorovka, Nikolayevka and Staraya Sorochina.