Ukraine conquers many villages Putin's soldiers are surrendering in droves in the Kursk region

Ukrainian soldiers are said to have advanced ten kilometers into Russian territory in Russia's border region of Kursk. Several towns have been captured and many Russian soldiers have surrendered.

In the midst of its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia is now experiencing the fiercest counterattacks in months from its neighboring country - this time in its border region of Kursk. At a government meeting in Moscow, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin accused the Kiev regime, as he calls the Ukrainian leadership, of another provocation. Rockets had also been fired at civilian objects and residential buildings, Putin said.

Military bloggers speak of occupied places

Earlier, Russian military bloggers had reported that Ukrainian fighters had advanced deep behind the border in the Kursk region. Up to eleven villages are said to be under the control of Ukrainian soldiers.

On X, videos and images show the surrender of many Russian soldiers as Ukrainian troops advance. The Ukrainian side announced that the Russian forces had suffered "significant losses". This was confirmed by Russian and Ukrainian sources.

According to unverifiable reports from Russian military bloggers, the Ukrainian units are moving towards the town of Sudzha in the Kursk region, just over nine kilometers from the border, where people have called for evacuation measures. Russian state television correspondent Alexander Sladkov, for example, reported that the enemy had advanced ten kilometers into Russian territory. Various bloggers estimate the strength of the Ukrainians at between 900 and 2000 men.

The Ukrainian forces have clearly advanced towards the western edge of Sudzha-Goncharovka on the 38K-004 highway. According to unconfirmed reports, fighting is underway in the settlement, marking an 8 km advance into Russian territory.

Governor: Thousands of people have fled from border villages

Thousands of people have fled from the border villages in the Russian region of Kursk that were attacked by the Ukrainian side. The citizens had left their homes in private vehicles, said the acting governor Alexei Smirnov in a video message. In addition, 200 people had been brought to safety from the shelled villages in transport vehicles and buses.

Smirnov said that he had spoken to Putin on the phone during the night. The President had taken personal control of the situation. Emergency shelters with around 2500 places had also been set up. Psychologists are also working there.

Bloggers: Putin plays down the seriousness of the situation

The military bloggers also criticized Putin for downplaying the seriousness of the situation with his assessment that it was a provocation or a terrorist attack. They called for a tough and decisive counter-attack.

Military observers said that the Russian troops were only weakly deployed in the border region, which is why the Ukrainian fighters had found it easy to penetrate there. Last year, there had been such breakthroughs from the Ukrainian side, particularly in the Belgorod region. Volunteer battalions consisting of Russians but fighting on the Ukrainian side claimed responsibility for the actions. The leadership in Kiev emphasized that they had nothing to do with it.

dpa