Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed senior government officials to kick Ukraine’s forces out of Russia’s territory.
Ukraine’s forces have been conducting cross-border attacks in the western Russian region of Kursk. The offensives are the largest that Ukraine has carried out since the Russian invasion began in 2022.
On Monday, Ukrainian media outlets released video footage that they say shows Ukrainian soldiers removing a Russian flag from a building in a settlement in the Kursk region. They say the settlement is located about 4 kilometers from the border.
Putin held a meeting on Monday with national security officials and authorities from three of the regions that border Ukraine.
The acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, said that 12 people had been killed and 121 others had been injured in the region.
He also said that Ukrainian forces have advanced 12 kilometers into Kursk and taken control of 28 settlements. He added that 121,000 people have already evacuated from the area.
The governor of the Belgorod region, which neighbors Kursk, said that around 10,000 people had fled from some of the districts along the border with Ukraine.
Putin noted that the defense ministry’s main task is to expel the enemy from Russia’s territory and secure the border.
He added that Ukraine appears to be trying to improve its position ahead of possible negotiations, and that its aim is apparently to intimidate Russian citizens and destroy their unity.
Putin said that Ukraine will receive a worthy response, and that Russia’s goals will definitely be achieved.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with senior government officials on Monday.
Army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi briefed those in attendance on the situation in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces are conducting a cross-border operation.
The commander-in-chief said Ukrainian troops have taken control of about 1,000 square kilometers.