Russia says it retook 63.2% of territory captured by Ukraine in its Kursk region

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian forces have retaken 63.2% of the territory captured by Ukraine in the Kursk region of western Russia, the Russian defence ministry said on Friday.

Reuters could not independently verify the ministry's statement, which said Russia had recaptured four settlements in the first two weeks of January.

Ukrainian troops burst across the border in a surprise incursion on Aug. 6 last year, seizing a chunk of territory that offers Kyiv a valuable bargaining chip in potential talks on ending the war.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)