Since then, Russian forces – bolstered by thousands of North Korean troops sent by Putin-ally Kim Jong-un – have sought to claw back most of that land. The North Korean troops began arriving in Kursk from late October as part of a mutual defence pact agreed between Putin and Kim.

After clinging for more than seven months to a gradually shrinking area, Ukraine has seen its position worsen sharply in the past week.

Dressed in military fatigues for a surprise visit to soldiers in the Russian region of Kursk on Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to swiftly recapture the rest of the area

Russia said it expelled Ukrainian troops from a key town in the Kursk region ahead of talks with the US, bringing President Vladimir Putin closer to his goal of completely dislodging Kyiv’s forces from his country.