The Russian president has toured the construction site of a new nuclear power plant and spoke with local officials

Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited Kursk Region for the first time since its full liberation from Ukrainian forces, the Kremlin has said.

In late April, Putin announced the full liberation of the border areas of Kursk Region, which had been seized by Kiev’s troops after they launched an incursion last August.

During his tour of the region on Tuesday, the Russian leader visited the construction site of the new Kursk 2 nuclear power plant in the city of Kurchatov. He also held a meeting with Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein, as well as the heads of local municipalities and volunteers who have been helping those affected by the incursion, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Putin thanked the volunteers for “the noble, important and… unfortunately, dangerous” work that they had been doing.

“You and I are a team, and the whole country today is one united team. And this is the unquestionable success of all our endeavors. This is a necessary condition for achieving all our goals,” he stressed.

The president said that the situation in Kursk Region remains “difficult” even after its full liberation, as Ukrainian forces continue their attempts to move towards the Russian border.

Putin has also ordered an increase in the number of mine clearance specialists working in Kursk Region so that people can return home as soon as possible.

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Payments to residents who lost their property during the incursion will continue, while state funds will also be allocated to repair damaged residential buildings in the region, he said.

According to Putin, a museum will be set up in Kursk Region dedicated to the efforts to repel the incursion.