\n<\/p>\n
Ukraine says its forces are continuing their advance into Russian territory, moving forward in several directions.<\/p>\n
Russia’s western border region of Kursk came under a surprise attack last week, leading Russian authorities to declare a state of emergency in the area.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said troops had advanced 1-2 km further into Kursk since Wednesday morning, and had also captured 100 Russian soldiers. But Russia claims it has stopped any further advances.<\/p>\n
Now in its second week, this is Ukraine’s deepest incursion into Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The amount of Russian territory seized is uncertain, with both countries making conflicting statements.<\/p>\n
A commander of the Chechen Akhmat special forces unit, Maj-Gen Apti Alaudinov told viewers on Russian state-controlled TV, Channel One, that Russian forces had almost \u201ccompletely blocked\u201d the Ukrainian military from advancing.<\/p>\n
But in a video link to President Zelensky, army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi stated Ukrainian troops were now fully in control of the Kursk border town of Sudzha. <\/p>\n
The BBC is unable to independently verify this claim, but a Ukrainian television report filmed from within the town showed Ukrainian soldiers removing a Russian flag from a school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Amid Kyiv’s claims of territorial gains, Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy said they were not interested in “taking over” Russian territory.<\/p>\n
“The sooner Russia agrees to restore a just peace… the sooner the raids by the Ukrainian defence forces into Russia will stop,” he told reporters.<\/p>\n
In an earlier meeting with government officials, Mr Zelensky said he would consider setting up \u201cmilitary commandants’ offices\u201d in the region.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Ukraine\u2019s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk outlined plans for a \u201csecurity zone\u201d in Kursk, to protect Ukraine\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n
Her Telegram post said Ukraine would organise humanitarian aid for Russian civilians within the security zone, and open evacuation corridors to both Russia and Ukraine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Yan Furtsev, a local official with Russia’s liberal opposition party, Yabloko, said the situation in the Kursk region was “tense”.<\/p>\n
“Citizens that are leaving their homes are in a very difficult psychological situation,” he told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight, adding they were experiencing a lot of “stress and sadness”. <\/p>\n
Mr Furtsev said about 180,000 civilians needed to be evacuated. So far 121,000 had left, he said, with everyone needing basic essentials such as food and clothing.<\/p>\n
Earlier Russia declared a second state of emergency, this time in the neighbouring Belgorod region, where homes have been damaged in drone attacks and shelling.<\/p>\n
Moscow says that overnight it shot down 117 drones overnight, which mainly targeted four regions – Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod. <\/p>\n
Long-range drones were also fired at Russian airfields in Voronezh and Kursk, as well as Savasleyka and Borisoglebsk, Ukraine’s security services told AFP.<\/p>\n
The Ukrainian military quoted a secret service source as calling it a “fun” night at the airports overnight, in what was a specially planned operation.<\/p>\n
In his first comments on the operation since it began, US President Joe Biden said that the offensive was \u201ccreating a real dilemma for Putin”.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, various European allies have voiced their support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n
The prime ministers of Finland and Estonia said they supported Ukraine’s military operation in Kursk, while Latvia\u2019s foreign minister went a step further by saying Kyiv \u201chas the right\u201d to use Nato weapons on Russian territory.<\/p>\n
Russia’s <\/b>President Vladimir Putin had previously described this as a “red line”.<\/p>\n
Last week, the German foreign ministry said Ukraine was entitled to self-defence which was “not limited to its own territory”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n