The announcement was made ahead of an expected prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia on Friday – an outcome of last week’s face-to-face talks in Turkey, the first time the two countries have held direct talks at any level in three years.

Despite President Trump’s stalled efforts to broker peace and Russia’s planned summer offensive, analysis by Michael Kimmage (Kennan Institute) suggests the military tide in Ukraine may be turning against Moscow.

Ukrainian forces made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024, before being pushed out by Russian troops nine months later.