Two days after his trip to Kursk, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Thursday his forces had started building a “security buffer zone” along the border between Russia-Ukraine, raising fears of a new Russian offensive.

Moscow said last month it had retaken full control of the region — a claim denied by Ukraine, which first took parts of Kursk in August. Putin last visited the border region in March, donning military fatigues for the only time since ordering the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and visiting a command post.

President Vladimir Putin visited Russia's Kursk region for the first time since Moscow claimed that it drove Ukrainian forces out of the area last month, the Kremlin said Wednesday.