SHOTLIST KURSK, RUSSIA (MAY 20, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT “KREMLIN PRESS OFFICE” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO — EDITORIAL USE ONLY) 1. VARIOUS OF RUSSIAN PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN SPEAKING DURING MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS 2. VARIOUS OF PRESIDENT PUTIN TALKING TO ACTING GOVERNOR OF KURSK REGION, ALEXANDER KHINSHTEIN KURSK, RUSSIA (MAY 20, 2025) (USERS MUST CREDIT “KREMLIN PRESS OFFICE” HANDOUT, MUST NOT OBSCURE LOGO — EDITORIAL USE ONLY) - Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region on Tuesday, May 20, where he met with local officials and inspected the construction of a new nuclear power plant, according to a Kremlin statement. During his trip, Putin held talks with acting Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein and representatives of volunteer organizations. In the city of Kurchatov, he also met with mayors from across the region and toured the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant-2, which is currently under construction. The visit comes months after Ukrainian forces launched a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, 2024, opening a new front in the ongoing conflict. At the time, Ukrainian troops made rapid advances, seizing control of 1,268 square kilometers of territory amid intense clashes with Russian forces. However, on April 26, Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin that the Kursk region had been "completely liberated" from Ukrainian forces, claiming that the Ukrainian army had been defeated in the area. The Kursk region, located in southern Russia, has been a focal point of military activity since last year’s Ukrainian offensive.