Putin visits Russian region for first time since recapture from Ukraine

Vladimir Putin has visited Kursk for the first time since his troops ejected Ukrainian forces from the Russian city.

The Russian president met with volunteer organisations and visited a nuclear power plant in the region yesterday, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. Mr Putin said late last month that his forces had ejected Ukrainian troops from the Kursk region, which ended the largest incursion into Russian territory since World War Two.

Ukraine launched its attack in August last year, using swarms of drones and heavy Western weaponry to smash through the Russian border, controlling nearly 540 square miles (1,400 square kilometres) of Kursk at the height of the incursion. More than 159 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory, Russia's defence ministry said on Wednesday.

The majority were over Russia's western regions, but at least six drones were shot down over the densely populated Moscow region, the ministry added. The visit in the Kursk region comes as a Russian missile attack killed six soldiers and injured 10 more during training in the Sumy region of Ukraine, according to the country's national guard.

The commander of the unit has been suspended and an internal investigation has been launched. Russia's defence ministry claimed the attack on the training camp in northeastern Ukraine killed up to 70 Ukrainian servicemen, including 20 instructors.

The attack comes after US President Donald Trump spoke to both Mr Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, urging them to restart ceasefire talks. Read more from Sky News:Fresh UK and EU sanctions on Russia announcedBritish doctor in Gaza describes horror But German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Wednesday that Mr Trump misjudged his influence on Mr Putin after the call between the American and Russian leaders yielded no progress in Ukraine peace talks.

Europe has since announced new sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine. Mr Pistorius said it remained to be seen whether the US would join those measures..