Putin in Kursk, Again: ‘Idiots’ Contest, ‘Fortress’ Churches, and a ‘United Russia’

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly visited Kurchatov in Kursk Oblast, less than 80 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

According to the Russian state news agency TASS, Putin met with “volunteers” and the region’s acting governor, Alexander Khinshtein. The exact date of the visit wasn’t disclosed, only that it took place “the day before.”

Kurchatov, the third-largest city in Kursk Oblast, is home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. TASS reported that Putin also inspected the nearby Kursk NPP-2 construction site.

Pro-Kremlin media released several videos allegedly showing Putin at the power plant, meeting volunteers, and speaking with the acting governor – though none of the footage has a verifiable date.

Putin is apparently not afraid of mixing freely with the locals, despite being a well-known germphobe who keeps official visitors several meters away during meetings in the safe and secure Kremlin.

One notable claim from TASS: “Putin visited Kursk Oblast – for the first time since the complete liberation of the region.” This contradicts reality – Ukrainian forces continue to hold territory in the area despite Russian proclamations of “complete liberation.”

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During the visit, Putin made several absurd claims. He accused Ukrainian troops of being “neo-Nazis” and desecrating World War II monuments, saying they demonstrated “extreme idiocy” and that “even in an idiots’ contest they would only take second place – because they’re idiots.”

He also asserted that Ukrainian forces attempt to cross the Russian border “every day,” and said Russians have “proven to themselves” that they are “a single people,” united like a “team.”

Putin claimed to be fully informed on the military situation in the region, and called UAVs one of the key tools in the war. He also instructed officials to develop a program to restore churches that Ukrainian troops allegedly turned “into fortresses.”

Other announcements included a continuation of the 65,000-ruble monthly payments to Kursk residents, a planned expansion of demining teams, and vague promises to bring displaced residents back – once the area has been cleared of mines.

Finally, Putin said he supported creating a special economic zone across the entire region and would instruct the Cabinet of Ministers to work on the plan.

In mid-March, Putin visited Kursk Oblast for the first time since Ukrainian forces began operations there in August 2024.

According to Russian media, Putin met with top commanders at an undisclosed military post on March 12. Footage released by state outlets showed him in camouflage, receiving a briefing from Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, who claimed Ukrainian forces in the region had been “isolated” and were being “systematically destroyed.”

In response, Putin reportedly ordered a swift defeat of Ukrainian troops, as if the thought had just occurred to him, and called for establishing a buffer zone near the border.

He also said that Ukrainian soldiers captured in the region should be treated under Russian anti-terror laws – though he added, somewhat contradictorily, that detainees should be treated humanely. He made clear that foreign fighters would not be granted protections under international law.

Unusually, the initial footage of the visit raised eyebrows. In the video posted by Kremlin journalist Pavel Zarubin, the audio was out of sync and Putin’s voice sounded oddly high-pitched. Social media users quickly pointed out the anomaly. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov blamed a technical glitch and said a corrected version was released shortly after.

Putin’s visit was widely interpreted as a show of defiance toward the US and Ukraine’s ceasefire proposal. Russian Telegram channels reported that Putin rarely appears in military uniform, suggesting the gesture was intended as a symbolic rejection of Western diplomatic overtures.