Russia's ejection of Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region ends the biggest incursion into Russian territory since World War Two, removing another barrier to a peace deal Moscow was reluctant to conclude with so many enemy troops on its soil.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces denied Russian President Vladimir Putin's claim over the weekend that Russian forces had fully retaken the Kursk region, where Ukraine launched an offensive last year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that his country has regained control of Kursk, the border region where Ukraine launched a surprise offensive last year, though Ukraine’s army says fighting continues.