Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise battlefield visit on Wednesday, telling troops in the Kursk region of Russia to “completely destroy” the Ukrainian forces that have occupied parts of the area for nearly seven months.

Kyiv has seized the diplomatic initiative but Russia retains the advantage on the battlefield, having chewed through Ukrainian land.

President Vladimir Putin has unexpectedly visited a command post in Kursk in the war zone in view of the successful counteroffensive by his troops in the Russian-Ukrainian border region. Putin ordered Russian troops to expel the remaining Ukrainian units from Kursk,