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 functionaries explained Saturday According to Russia s Defense Ministry its forces took control of the village of Oleshnya on the demarcation with Ukraine Units of the North military group have liberated the village of Oleshnya in the Kursk region during proceeding offensive operations the ministry announced in a message The Associated Press was unable to straightaway verify the claim and there was no immediate response from Ukrainian functionaries According to Russian state news agency TASS Russia is still fighting to push Ukrainian forces out of the village of Gornal certain 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 communicated citing Russia guard agencies Russian and North Korean soldiers have nearly deprived Kyiv of a key bargaining chip by retaking greater part of the region where Ukrainian troops staged a surprise incursion last year In other developments the Ukrainian Air Force released that Russia fired exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Saturday It reported 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 Crisis Institution commented Saturday Fires were contained and no casualties were communicated Russia s Ministry of Defense meanwhile noted its air defense systems shot down two Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday