Editor's note : this image is distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik
In this pool photograph distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (L) looks on as he chairs a meeting regarding the situation in the Kursk region, in his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo outside Moscow, on August 12, 2024. The governor of Russia's Kursk region where Ukraine has launched an incursion told Russian President Vladimir Putin that 28 settlements with a population of around 2,000 people are controlled by Ukrainian troops on August 12, 2024. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP) / Editor's note : this image is distributed by Russian state owned agency Sputnik