Russia appeared to acknowledge on Sunday that Ukrainian troops have driven deep into the country, saying it had hit troops and equipment around 30 kilometres from the border
ADVERTISEMENTWith the offensive entering a sixth day, Ukraine is gaining ground as fighting rages in the Russian territory of Kursk.
In what has become the most significant incursion by Ukrainian troops since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, thousands of Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 30km within the Russian border.
The Russian defence ministry said on Sunday its soldiers are fighting Ukrainian troops near the villages of Tolpino and Obschy Kolodez.
Maria Zakharova, the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, has accused Kyiv of “intimidating the peaceful population of Russia.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directly acknowledged the incursion for the first time in an address Saturday night and said 2,000 cross-border attacks had been launched by Russia from Kursk this summer.
“Each strike deserves a fair response,” Zelenskyy told Ukrainians in his nightly address from Kyiv.
Footage released by the Russian defence ministry on Sunday showed what it said was Russian armed forces fighting Ukrainian troops in the Kursk border region.
Military vehicles and tanks could be seen being hit by artillery and Su-25 fighter jets.
The unprecedented incursion by Ukraine is the largest since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022. It caught Moscow unaware, and Russian military leaders are still scrambling to contain the breach.
The exact aims of the operation remain unclear and Ukrainian military officials have adopted a policy of secrecy, presumably to ensure its success.
Military experts have said that it is likely intended to draw Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and may strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any future negotiations with Russia.
About 76,000 residents of the Russian territory have been evacuated since the fighting began, according to a Russian Emergencies Ministry spokesperson.
Evacuation of civilians living in Russia’s border areas with Ukraine continued Sunday.
Thousands have been receiving aid from the Russian Red Cross, the humanitarian organisation said on Sunday. Workers visited temporary accommodation centres and opened a hotline for those who lost contact with relatives in the region.
According to a report by the Russian state TV, more than 20 temporary accommodation centres have been set up in the region.
ADVERTISEMENTAs the fighting intensified within Russia's perimeter, Belarus prepared to send tanks to its border with Ukraine.
Belarus’ defence ministry broadcast pictures of tanks being deployed along the country's border on Sunday. The deployment came a day after the Russian ally ordered increased combat readiness after purported airspace violations.
A video shared by the ministry showed tanks being deployed in the southern Gomel region “in order to respond to any possible provocations.”
Belarussian President Aleksander Lukashenko, who this year marked three decades in power, allowed Russian troops to use Belarus’ territory to invade Ukraine in 2022 and let Moscow deploy some tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.
ADVERTISEMENTFire reported at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
Also on Sunday, a reported fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was likely started by the Russian military, according to Ukrainian officials.
Captured by Moscow soon after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the nuclear plant has frequently been caught in the crossfire, becoming a continual source of worry for international observers.
Despite Moscow's takeover, the plant's personnel largely stayed put, reducing the risk of it being mishandled.
Russian forces set fire to “a large number of automobile tires in cooling towers,” the Ukrainian head of the military administration in Nikopol Yevhen Yevtushenko alleged, citing sources in occupied Enerhodar.
ADVERTISEMENT“Perhaps this is a provocation or an attempt to create panic,” he said.
According to Yevtushenko, radiation levels at the plant are normal.
Zelenskyy called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to hold Moscow accountable for the provocation.
“As long as Russian terrorists retain control of the nuclear power plant, the situation is not and cannot be normal," Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post on Sunday.
ADVERTISEMENT“We are waiting for the world’s reaction, waiting for the IAEA’s reaction.”
According to the IAEA, "no impact to nuclear safety has been reported."