Ukrainian Troops have penetrated up to 30 kilometers into Russian territory, marking the most significant incursion since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Russia’s defense ministry reported clashes with Ukrainian forces near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, as the offensive in the Kursk region enters its sixth day. Foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Kyiv of “intimidating the peaceful population of Russia.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the attacks, noting that Russia had launched 2,000 cross-border attacks from Kursk this summer. In his nightly address, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine responds to each strike, which includes artillery, mortars, drones, and missiles.
Read more: Officials Report That A Russian Missile Attack Has Killed 9 People In Zelensky’s Hometown
A senior Ukrainian official revealed that thousands of troops are involved in the operation, far exceeding initial reports of a small incursion. This offensive represents the largest coordinated attack on Russian soil by Ukrainian conventional forces to date. The official stated that the aim is to stretch enemy defenses, inflict significant losses, and destabilize Russia’s ability to protect its borders.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed to have thwarted attempts by Ukrainian mobile groups with armored vehicles to advance further into Russian territory. However, the ministry admitted that Ukrainian forces have made substantial progress, engaging near Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, which are approximately 25 and 30 kilometers from the border.
Online footage showed a Russian strike near Levshinka, about 25 kilometers from the border. Ukrainian troops have reported capturing several settlements in the Kursk region, including Guevo, where they filmed removing a Russian flag from an administrative building. Videos also show Ukrainian forces taking over buildings in Sverdlikovo and Poroz, with intense fighting reported in Sudzha, a town of about 5,000 people.
Ukrainian troops have also filmed themselves at a major gas facility in Sudzha, which continues to operate despite the ongoing conflict. In the neighboring Sumy region, News reporters observed a steady movement of armored personnel carriers and tanks heading towards Russia, marked with white triangular insignias to differentiate them from those used within Ukraine. Aerial photos have shown Ukrainian tanks engaged in combat inside Russia.
Satellite images analyzed by NewsAgency Verify revealed new defensive lines being constructed near the Kursk nuclear power plant. Ukrainian forces near Obshchy Kolodez are within 50 kilometers of the facility. Comparison of recent satellite images shows several newly built trench lines, with the closest about 8 kilometers from the plant.
Russia has evacuated 76,000 people from border areas in the Kursk region, where a state of emergency has been declared. Acting regional governor Aleksei Smirnov reported that 15 individuals were injured late Saturday when debris from a downed Ukrainian missile struck a multi-storey building in Kursk, the regional capital.
Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko praised the operation, asserting it is bringing Ukraine closer to peace more effectively than numerous peace summits. He argued that when Russia faces direct threats on its own soil, it demonstrates the need for the conflict to end.
The Kursk offensive follows weeks of Russian territorial gains in the east, where Russian forces have captured several villages. Analysts suggest that the Kursk attack might be aimed at forcing Russia to reallocate its forces from eastern Ukraine, thereby easing pressure on Ukrainian defenses. However, a Ukrainian official noted that Russian operations in the east have continued unabated.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier described the offensive as a “major provocation.”
In the Kyiv region, emergency services reported that a man and his four-year-old son were killed in a missile strike near the capital. Air defenses intercepted 53 of 57 Russian attack drones during overnight airstrikes, and four North Korean-made missiles were also launched.
Russia has turned to North Korea for munitions replenishment, with the US accusing Pyongyang of supplying significant military hardware.
In the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Russian officials reported a fire at the region’s nuclear power plant on Sunday, allegedly caused by Ukrainian shelling. Governor Yevgeny Balitsky assured there was no radiation increase around the plant. Russia’s state news agency Tass reported that the main fire was extinguished early Monday.
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency, in a statement on X, noted that its inspectors saw “strong dark smoke” from the north of the facility but confirmed there was no impact on nuclear safety. President Zelensky claimed that Russian forces had started the fire on plant grounds. The plant, under Russian control since 2022, has not generated power for over two years, and all six reactors have been in cold shutdown since April.
