Russia claimed to retake a key town in the area from Ukrainian forces. Ukraine’s top military commander has said that its forces would continue to “hold the line.”

Moscow said on Friday that its forces had recaptured another village in their drive to dislodge Ukrainian forces from their last remaining footholds inside Russia's Kursk region. The defence ministry said Russian troops had retaken Goncharovka,

Russia struck a sedate tone on Friday but acknowledged grounds for cautious optimism, after only backing the "idea" of a U.S. brokered 30-day ceasefire with firm caveats.