Moscow is reporting that the Russian military drove Ukrainian forces out of 12 villages in the Kursk Oblast. Last year, Ukraine seized a large swath of sparsely defended Russian territory. 

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed, “The units of the ‘North’ group of troops during the offensive liberated 12 settlements … and more than 100 square kilometers of the Kursk region territory.” Moscow also reported gains in Ukraine, with the Defense Ministry declaring control over the settlement of Gorkogo in Donetsk.

While President Donald Trump says ending the war in Ukraine is a top priority, the intensity of the conflict is escalating. Over the past week, Moscow and Kiev have launched major drone and missile attacks targeting energy infrastructure. 

Monday night into Tuesday, Ukrainian forces launched their largest drone assault on Russia since the start of the war. Over 300 drones targeted a number of targets in the Kursk and Moscow regions of Russia. One target was the Druzhba oil pipeline that brought oil from Russia to Hungary, which angered Budapest. 

Andrey Kartapolov, head of Russia’s State Duma Defense Committee, argued Moscow should deploy one of its most advanced weapons platforms to target Ukraine in response. “The decision is up to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief (Russian President Vladimir Putin), but I think it would not be unreasonable (to launch the Oreshnik), better even more than one,” he said according to the Russian state media. 

With fighting escalating across the frontlines, the US and Ukrainian officials met in Saudi Arabia. Following the summit, Washington and Kiev issued statements saying the Ukrainian delegation was receptive to a 30-day ceasefire proposal. Additionally, Trump reversed his block on military aid and intelligence sharing for Ukraine.