MOSCOW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he was informed an hour ago that Russian forces had crossed the border with Ukraine from the Kursk region, the TASS news agency reported Wednesday.

"The most recent information that I was reported just an hour ago is that tonight the fighters of the 810th brigade crossed the border of the Russian Federation and Ukraine and entered the territory of the enemy," Putin said, while answering journalists' questions during a visit to a drone plant in St. Petersburg.

Russia's army has been pushing back Ukrainian forces in Kursk region following their surprise cross-border attack in August 2024.