Moscow: Russia has admitted that Ukrainian troops are now 30 kilometers inside Russia.
This is the first time Ukrainian forces have made a successful advance since Moscow launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia's defense ministry says its forces have stopped Ukrainian troops from advancing further near the villages of Tolpino and Obshi Kolodies.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Kiev of threatening Russia's peaceful population.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who directly acknowledged the attack for the first time in his address last night, said there had been 2,000 cross-border attacks from Kursk by Russia this summer.
"We keep a record of every Russian missile attack except Russian artillery, mortars, drones, so that these attacks can be responded to fairly," he said.
A senior Ukrainian official told the news agency that thousands of soldiers were engaged in the operation, which is more than the small intrusion initially reported by Russian border guards.
Although Ukrainian-backed subversive groups have periodically launched cross-border incursions, the Kursk attack is the largest coordinated attack on Russian territory by Kiev's traditional forces.
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