Russia says it has retaken another village in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces

KYIV Ukraine AP Russia has pushed Ukrainian forces from one of their last remaining footholds in Russia s Kursk region authorities declared Saturday According to Russia s Defense Ministry its forces took control of the village of Oleshnya on the confines with Ukraine Units of the North military group have liberated the village of Oleshnya in the Kursk region during progressing offensive operations the ministry revealed in a announcement The Associated Press was unable to promptly verify the claim and there was no immediate response from Ukrainian executives According to Russian state news agency TASS Russia is still fighting to push Ukrainian forces out of the village of Gornal various seven miles kilometers south of Oleshnya The Russian military has yet to push the Ukrainian Armed Forces out of Gornal in order to wholly liberate the Kursk region Fierce fighting is underway in the settlement the agency informed citing Russia safeguard agencies Russian and North Korean soldiers have nearly deprived Kyiv of a key bargaining chip by retaking the greater part of the region where Ukrainian troops staged a surprise incursion last year In other developments the Ukrainian Air Force stated that Russia fired exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Saturday It noted of them were intercepted and another were lost likely having been electronically jammed Russian attacks damaged farms in the Odesa region and sparked fires in the Sumy region overnight Ukraine s State Urgency Operation announced Saturday Fires were contained and no casualties were disclosed Russia s Ministry of Defense meanwhile noted its air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday