MOSCOW, May 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the border region of Kursk on Tuesday, several weeks after Russian forces pushed Ukrainian troops out of the area, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

"Vladimir Putin made a working visit the previous day to the Kursk region," where he met with the interim governor and others, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Ukrainian troops seized control of parts of the Kursk region in August 2024, but were pushed out by Moscow's forces, with help from North Korean soldiers, by the end of April.

Images aired on the Rossia 24 channel showed a relaxed and smiling Putin sitting around a large table decked with tea and sweets, with people from the region.

Putin also visited the local nuclear power plant and met with city officials, the Kremlin said.

Putin previously visited Kursk at the end of March.