Ukraine claims to have captured more than 100 Russian soldiers as they advance into Kursk region

It's just over a week since Kyiv's forces led a surprise charge across their north-eastern border. Our correspondent John Ray reports

Ukrainian forces have pushed deeper into Russia's Kursk region capturing more than 100 prisoners, gaining more territory and destroying a jet bomber in its continuing incursion.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian troops advanced one to two miles in parts of Kursk, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of the Ukrainian military, said on Telegram.

Syrskyi reported Ukrainian troops captured over 100 Russian soldiers on Wednesday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said these prisoners would be used in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Ukraine's General Staff, Anatoliy Barhylevych, added that troops in Kursk destroyed a Russian Su-34 jet, which had been used to launch glide bombs at Ukrainian front-line positions and cities.

Military analysts believe the incursion could involve as many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops backed by armour and artillery.

Ukraine's surprise incursion into the neighbouring Kursk region on August 6 is the first time a foreign military has entered Russian territory since the Nazis in the Second World War.

Meanwhile, the Russian region of Belgorod declared an emergency after new Ukrainian attacks with Kyiv claiming 1,000 square kilometres - although this has not been independently verified.

However, if true, it would mean Ukraine took just one week to capture the equivalent area of land Russian forces took in Ukraine between January and July 2024, according to calculations by the Institute for the Study of War.

Belgorod's governor Vyacheslav Gladko declared an emergency on Wednesday after the region began evacuation earlier on Monday.

A Russian woman currently in Belgorod said less people were openly supporting the war since the incursion began.

“When explosions started near the city, when people were dying and when all this started happening before our eyes … and when it affected people personally, they stopped at least openly supporting the war," she said.

In a video message posted on Telegram, he said: "The situation in the Belgorod region continues to be extremely difficult and tense."

Children are being moved to safety, with about 5,000 currently in camps in secure areas, he said.

He also reported that around 11,000 people had fled their homes, with about 1,000 staying in temporary accommodation centres.

Gladkov said regional authorities are now appealing to Vladimir Putin's Russian government to declare a federal emergency.

He added that Ukrainian drones targeted two locations in Belgorod - the city of Shebekino and the village of Ustinka - but no casualties were reported.

Russia's defence ministry reported on Wednesday that it had destroyed dozens of drones and four tactical missiles over the Kursk region, as part of a larger assault in which air defences downed 117 "aircraft-type" drones overnight.

Since Ukraine's incursion began, over 132,000 people have been evacuated and 74 villages in the Kursk region are now under Ukrainian control.

Russian authorities have announced plans to evacuate another 59,000 more people.

This situation poses a potential embarrassment for Putin as he scrambles to halt the advance and “kick the enemy out” of Russia.

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Counter-terrorism operations have been imposed in Kursk, Belgorod and another border region, Bryansk.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy said its forces are making preparations for “next steps” in the Kursk region.

US president Joe Biden addressed the incursion on Tuesday, saying that he was receiving regular updates from his staff and that it was "creating a real dilemma for Putin."

A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson confirmed there are no intentions to occupy any Russian territory, as the purpose of the incursion is instead to stop Russia from firing missiles into Ukraine from Kursk.

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