Kursk residents recorded a video for Putin, saying Russia’s military chiefs are lying that Ukraine’s attack is ‘under control’

About 80 miles to the southeast, Russia opened a similar operation in May by moving its troops into the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, opening a new war front.

Ukraine has said little about its attack on Russia, though an advisor to the president’s office, Mykhailo Podolyak, acknowledged the Ukrainian push in social media statements on Thursday.

“Now, a significant part of the global community considers Rf a legitimate target for any operations and types of weapons,” Podolyak wrote on X, referring to the Russian armed forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his Thursday address that Russia “should feel what it has done” to Ukraine, but did not mention the incursion directly.

In a Wednesday meeting convened by Putin, Russian military chief Valery Gerasimov reported that the Ukrainian advance had been brought to a halt, claiming that Kyiv’s forces had taken heavy casualties.

The situation is “under control,” Kursk’s acting governor, Alexey Smirnov, said in a statement on Telegram. He urged residents not to panic.

But Russian sources and footage of skirmishes in Kursk show the fighting is still fierce.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, geolocated Ukrainian units having broken past Russian defensive lines in at least two areas.

“The sky is completely dominated by Ukrainian drones,” wrote military blogger VChK-OPGU, who is known to have ties to Russia’s military forces, on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Putin has announced a one-time payment of 10,000 rubles, or $115, in relief for Kursk residents affected by the attack, according to state media.