The priest stated to Sputnik News Agency: “In the altar area (in the church), as we can see, they had a sort of temporary deployment point, where they likely sat and tried something out in preparation for launching drones. Everything was thrown onto the altar and the altar table.” Sputnik obtained footage of the church desecrated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack in the early hours of August 6, 2024, aiming to seize territory, but their advance was halted. The Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, stated that the operation will be completed with the enemy’s defeat and reaching the state borders.
On April 26, 2025, Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin the completion of the operation to liberate the Kursk region from Ukrainian militants.
