According to Moscow, Ukrainian troops have advanced 30 km inside Russia.

Ukrainian forces have made a significant advance, penetrating up to 30km inside Russian territory. This marks the deepest and most impactful incursion since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

As the Kursk region offensive entered its sixth day, the Russian military ministry reported that its forces had fought Ukrainian forces close to the towns of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez. Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, charged that Kyiv was "intimidating the peaceful population of Russia."

The attack was first announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky overnight, who also declared that Ukraine was now advancing the war onto "the aggressor's territory." Zelensky stressed this point in his evening speech from Kyiv, saying that Ukraine is proving it can "restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor." He thanked the "warriors" of Ukraine and said he had spoken with Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the head of the armed forces, about the operation in Russia.

Thousands of troops were participating in the operation, a senior Ukrainian official told the AFP news agency, significantly more than Russian border guards had first claimed. Though there have been sporadic cross-border incursions by sabotage groups funded by Ukraine, the Kursk offensive is the biggest concerted strike on Russian soil by Kyiv's conventional soldiers.

"We are on the offensive. The aim is to stretch the positions of the enemy, inflict maximum losses, and destabilize the situation in Russia as they are unable to protect their own border," the official said.

Russia's defense ministry reported that its forces had "foiled attempts by enemy mobile groups with armored vehicles to break through deep into Russian territory." However, the ministry also acknowledged that Ukrainian forces had advanced deep into the Kursk border region, with engagements reported near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, located approximately 25km and 30km from the Russia-Ukraine border.

Online footage that Newslast7 confirmed appeared to show a Russian strike close to the settlement of Levshinka, which is around 25 kilometers from the border. According to reports, Ukrainian forces have taken control of multiple communities in the Kursk area. Troops recorded themselves taking down the Russian flag from an administrative building in the village of Guevo, which is located approximately 3 km inside Russia.

Videos have also emerged that appear to show Ukrainian troops taking control of Sverdlikovo and Poroz's government buildings, and there have been reports of heavy combat in Sudzha, a town with about 5,000 residents. A significant gas plant outside of Sudzha, where natural gas is being transported from Russia to the EU through Ukraine, has already been captured on camera by Ukrainian military. This transit of gas has taken place despite the ongoing conflict.

Newslast7 reporters in Sumy, which is bordering the Kursk region, saw tanks and armored personnel carriers heading directly into Russia. The armored convoys are emblazoned with white triangular insignias, which appear to set them apart from Ukrainian equipment. Aerial photographs, meanwhile, have revealed Ukrainian tanks fighting inside Russia.

Newslast7's analysis of photos revealed that Russia is building additional defensive lines close to the Kursk nuclear power station. There are reports that Ukrainian soldiers have pushed to within 31 miles, or 50 km, of the complex. A comparison between yesterday's and a few days earlier's satellite data reveals multiple recently built trench lines in the region, the closest of which is approximately 8 km (5 miles) from the facility.

According to Russian estimates, 76,000 people have been taken out of border areas in the Kursk region, where local authorities have proclaimed a state of emergency. According to acting regional governor Aleksei Smirnov, a multi-story building in Kursk, the regional capital, was struck by debris from a downed Ukrainian missile late on Saturday, injuring fifteen people.

Oleksiy Goncharenko, a member of parliament from Ukraine, praised the operation and said it was closer to peace than "one hundred peace summits." According to him, the only way to "stop this war" with Russia is to have them defend their own area, as he stated to Newslast7.

The Kursk offensive follows weeks of Russian advances in the east, where the Kremlin's forces have captured several villages. Some analysts suggest the attack on Kursk aims to force Russia to redeploy forces from eastern Ukraine, relieving pressure on Ukraine's beleaguered defenses. However, a Ukrainian official told AFP that there has been little reduction in Russian operations in the east.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, called the Ukrainian offensive a "major provocation" earlier this week. Emergency services in Kyiv have reported that a father and his four-year-old boy perished in a missile strike on the city overnight, indicating that Moscow has already retaliated. 53 of the 57 Russian attack drones that were launched during Russia's midnight airstrikes were reportedly destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses. According to air force authorities, four missiles made in North Korea were also fired as part of the bombardment. According to US allegations, Russia is allegedly looking to North Korea for military equipment to restock on bombs.

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