Ukraine controlled at least 800 square kilometers (308 square miles) of territory in Russia's Kursk region as of Monday, according to an AFP analysis of data provided by the Institute for the Study of War.

Kyiv launched a surprise offensive into Russia's southwestern Kursk region last Tuesday, capturing over two dozen settlements in the most

President Vladimir Putin appointed his aide and former bodyguard Alexei Dyumin to oversee Russia’s military response to the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region, a federal lawmaker said Tuesday, an apparent confirmation of rumors circulated earlier by Russian military bloggers.

“Indeed, Alexei Gennadyevich Dyumin was summoned yesterday and

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his calls for Palestinian statehood in a meeting with Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday.

“We believe that in order to ensure lasting, reliable and stable peace in the region, it’s necessary to… create a full-fledged Palestinian state,” Putin told Abbas at the presidential