President Vladimir Putin has visited the western Russian region of Kursk for the first time since Ukrainian forces seized some territory in the region, Russian news agencies reported on Wednesday.

He was told by the head of the Russian General Staff that Kyiv’s troops in the area were surrounded and faced ‘systematic destruction’.

The bulk of Ukrainian forces, including some of Kyiv’s most battle-hardened brigades, have likely withdrawn from Russia’s Kursk region, relocating back into Ukrainian territory, military correspondent David Axe wrote for Forbes on March 11.