Putin vows to ‘kick the enemy out’ as Ukraine pushes into Russian territory

• Russia’s President Vladimir Putin vows to “kick the enemy out of our territory”, as Ukraine pushes on with its surprise offensive inside the country

• Some 121,000 people have evacuated from Russia’s western Kursk region, officials say, with another 59,000 told to leave

• Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 18 miles (30km) inside Russia – the deepest incursion since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

• Our security correspondent looks at the balance of risk versus reward for Ukraine here

• Belgorod, which neighbours the Kursk region, is also evacuating residents and the regional government has issued a missile alert, telling people to shelter in their basements

Live Reporting

Edited by Aoife Walsh

1. Ukraine gains more ground as Kursk evacuations continuepublished at 18:25

   We’ll be pausing our coverage shortly, but before we go, here’s a look at the latest developments:

   • Vladimir Putin has vowed to “kick the enemy out” of Russia and says Ukraine will get a “worthy response” to its incursion

   • Kursk’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov says Ukraine controls 28 villages in the region and that the “situation remains difficult”
   • About 121,000 people have now been evacuated from Kursk and 59,000 others still need to leave, according to Smirnov
   • Evacuations are also underway in Belgorod, another Russian border region
   • Ukraine’s army chief says the country is continuing its offensive in Russia’s Kursk region and now controls around 1,000 sq km of territory there
   • The US state department says it’s concerned that “hundreds” of Iranian ballistic missiles might be transferred to Russia

   If you’d like to continue reading about this story, you can find more of our coverage here.

2. Zelensky: ‘Russia must be forced to make peace’published at 18:22

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia had to be “forced to make peace” as President Vladimir Putin wants to continue fighting.

   In his nightly address, Zelenksy says that war was coming back to Russia after Moscow had taken it to other countries.

   “Russia must be forced to make peace if Putin wants to fight so badly,” Zelensky says.

   “Russia brought war to others, now it’s coming home. Ukraine has always wanted only peace, and we will certainly ensure peace,” he adds.

3. Russia should withdraw troops from Ukraine, US sayspublished at 17:54

   Tom Bateman
   Reporting from Washington DC

   The US is describing Putin’s latest vow to punish Ukraine as “nothing new”, saying it’s not the first time he has “sabre rattled” and used “escalatory language”.

   We reported earlier how the Russian president said Ukraine would get a “worthy response” for its incursion into Russian territory.

   I’m in the daily US State Department news briefing in Washington and just asked Spokesman Vedant Patel what he made of Putin’s latest comments. He said if Russia wanted a solution it would be for its “forces to leave Ukraine”.

   Patel was also asked if the latest reports about the Ukrainian advance changed anything in the US position.

   He repeated comments the State Department made last week that the US supported Ukrainian forces being able to defend themselves against Russian action, and that nothing in their policy had changed.

4. Listen: What does Ukraine’s offensive mean for the war?published at 17:39

   

   The Ukrainecast team have been taking stock of this surprise cross-border offensive – the deepest advance by Kyiv since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

   Presenters Lucy Hockings and Vitaly Shevchenko are joined by BBC Ukraine correspondent James Waterhouse to discuss whether this move marks a new chapter in the conflict.

   Listen to the full episode here.

5. US ‘deeply concerned’ about possible Iranian missile transfers to Russiapublished at 17:24

   Bernd Debusmann Jr
   Reporting from Washington DC

   US authorities are concerned that “hundreds” of Iranian ballistic missiles might be transferred to Russia, US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel says.

   “We’ve been warning of the deepening security partnership between Iran and Russia,” he says.

   “This partnership threatens European security.”

   Patel said that US and its allies are prepared to deliver a “swift and severe” response if it moves forward with the transfer of ballistic missiles, which would represent a “dramatic escalation” of Iranian support during the Ukraine war.

   The US has previously accused Iran of supplying attack drones that Russia has used to target Ukrainian infrastructure – a charge that Iran denies.

6. Ukraine controls 1,000 sq km in Kursk region – army chiefpublished at 16:59

   Ukraine now controls around 1,000 sq km of territory in Russia’s Kursk region and is continuing its military offensive, according to the country’s army chief.

   Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi made the announcement in a video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.

   Zelensky says he has ordered a “humanitarian plan” to be drawn up for the area.

7. Next Ukraine peace summit should include Russia, Swiss FM sayspublished at 16:46

   Image source, EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock

   Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis says he’s signed a joint declaration with his Italian counterpart expressing “deep concern over Russia’s aggression” in Ukraine.

   But he adds that Moscow should be present at the next peace summit.

   In mid-June, Switzerland hosted world leaders at a summit intended to craft pathway towards peace in Ukraine.

   “We support holding a second peace summit that includes all parties, including Russia,” Cassis says on X.

8. 

   Russian state TV talks up Moscow’s response to Ukraine offensivepublished at 16:23

   Damien Sharkov
   BBC Monitoring

   Russian state TV has featured Ukraine’s offensive prominently, albeit it has repeatedly sought to present its own military’s response as robust, while painting Ukraine as the one suffering losses.

   Morning TV news bulletins aired Defence Ministry footage purportedly showing Russian helicopters striking a “concentration of Ukrainian personnel and armoured vehicles” in Kursk Region.

   Similar clips received airplay across daytime political shows, where Channel One presenter Olesya Loseva was quick to assure viewers that although the situation was “tense”, Russia was “driving the enemy out”.

   “Attempts to break through our border are proving very costly for Ukraine,” Loseva’s co-host Ruslan Ostashko added, claiming Kyiv had suffered heavy casualties.

   On state channel Rossiya 1, presenter and MP Yevgeny Popov reported that Ukraine had made an “attempt to break through” into another Russian region – Belgorod.

   “The Russian Army detected the enemy approaching and has entered into battle,” he declared.

   In a later exchange by video call with a Kursk doctor, Ostashko was told that Russian medics in the area had enough support to cope.

   “We are ready to help, our attitude is positive…We will win,” she concluded.

9. ‘We’re in a fighting mood’ – Ukrainian soldierpublished at 16:11

   James Waterhouse
   Ukraine correspondent, reporting from Sumy

   With all the caveats of this risky operation aside – and there are several – there is a whiff of optimism in the city of Sumy’s air.

   That and a fair bit of dust and diesel fumes as military vehicles make their way towards the Russian border.

   For the first time since the liberations of 2022, there is movement on the battlefield, and it’s not Russia doing the dictating and Ukraine the reacting, but vice versa.

   “It is like in 2022,” agrees “Barman”, a Ukrainian soldier. We meet him pausing for a coffee at a popular petrol station.

   “We’re in a fighting mood. It would be even better if civilians helped us even more with donations, because we can’t do it on our own.”

   The Kremlin has promised a “tough response”, but Kyiv has framed this offensive as a reply of its own, with it claiming Russia has launched more than 2000 air strikes from Kursk this year, the very region it continues to march deeper into.

   

10. Russia falsely accusing Ukrainian troops of war crimes, Kyiv sayspublished at 15:54

    Ukraine’s security service (SBU) has just issued a statement, saying that Russia was trying to “blamelessly” accuse Ukraine’s military of war crimes amid its incursion in the Kursk region.

    The SBU says it believes Russia may stage war crimes and accuse Kyiv of carrying them out.

    “The Security Service of Ukraine warns that such attempts are futile and will not affect either the offensive actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine or the opinion of our country’s international partners,” the statement reads.

11. 

    A balance of risk versus reward for Ukrainepublished at 15:40

    Frank Gardner
    Security correspondent

    One week into Ukraine’s shock incursion into Russia and Volodymyr Zelensky’s gamble appears to be paying off – for now.

    The Kremlin is humiliated, Kyiv’s morale has been lifted and there are signs that Russia may be forced to redeploy some of its forces from the Donbas to the south.

    But the longer Ukraine’s forces remain inside Russia, the greater the risks. Perhaps the biggest one is that Russia deploys enough troops to surround and cut off the Ukrainian troops before it has time to withdraw.

    Mass casualties or mass capture of prisoners would undo all the recent benefits to Ukrainian morale.

    A senior British military source, who asked not to be named, said he was impressed by Ukraine’s use of “combined arms”, ie going into Russia with not just light infantry but engineering, artillery and other supporting units.

    But he cautioned there was also the risk now that Moscow will be so incensed by this attack on its homeland that it redoubles its own attacks on Ukraine’s civilian population and infrastructure.

12. In pictures: People evacuate Kursk as Putin holds meeting on Ukraine offensivepublished at 15:23

    Here’s some of the latest photos from news agencies of the scenes inside Russia today:

    Image source, Reuters

    Image source, Reuters

    Image source, Reuters

    Image source, Reuters

13. 

    Could Ukraine’s incursion shift dynamics of the war?published at 15:01

    Gordon Corera
    Security correspondent

    Ukraine’s push into Russia took almost everyone by surprise. It is a bold move but also potentially a risky one. But Kyiv seems to be hoping it can change the dynamics of a conflict which had been heading more in Moscow’s favour this year.

    Trying to hold on to and occupy Russian territory for any length of time will be challenging if not impossible, given it would be a humiliation for Vladimir Putin, meaning he will bring significant force to bear.

    But the push into the Kursk region could be aimed at relieving some pressure in the Donbas where Russia has been making slow but steady advances.

    In the short term, Russia may move some of its forces to eject Ukraine but also in the longer term Moscow might also feel it has to deploy more forces across the border region in order to prevent a repeat performance.

    But the biggest benefit to Ukraine may be psychological. It signals to both the Ukrainian people and Kyiv’s Western allies that the war is not all going in one direction and there remain ways to reshape the contours of this conflict.

14. What’s the latest?published at 14:44

    Image source, Reuters

    • Putin’s threat: The Russian president says Ukraine will get a “worthy response” for its incursion into Russian territory – and that Russian forces will “kick the enemy out”, in a meeting with regional governors
    • Ukraine control: The governor of the Kursk region – which Ukraine entered last Tuesday – told Putin that Ukrainian troops now control 28 villages there. Ukrainian troops are 7.4 miles (12km) deep inside the area, he says
    • Mass evacuations: The Kursk governor added that 121,000 people have now been evacuated from their homes – with 59,000 more to go. In Belgorod, the region next to Kursk, about 11,000 people were told to leave this morning
    • What next? We’re waiting to hear any details from Ukraine today on their offensive. Our correspondent Sarah Rainsford looks at whether this will change Russian public opinion of the war – she says it’s clear some are asking questions

    Stay with us for more.

15. 

    Putin appears displeased at Ukraine briefingpublished at 14:30

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    BBC Monitoring

    Vladimir Putin likes talking about his “special military operation”, but this was clearly not a meeting he enjoyed chairing.

    He kicked it off by talking about how well the Russian army was doing, allegedly inflicting huge damage on Ukrainian forces.

    But the acting governor of Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, looked and sounded much less upbeat.

    When he started speaking about how deep inside Russian territory the Ukrainian forces were, he was interrupted by President Putin, who told him to focus on “how people were being helped” instead.

    The Russian president appeared displeased, pursing his lips, when Smirnov said the Ukrainians were in control of 28 villages in his region.

    These are scenes you seldom see on Russian state TV and they reveal the scale of the problem faced by Russia in Kursk region.

16. About 121,000 people evacuated from Kursk regionpublished at 14:14

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    BBC Monitoring

    Kursk governor Alexei Smirnov says so far 121,000 residents of the Kursk region have been evacuated.

    He says 59,000 more still need to leave.

    “As per your instructions… we’ve divided the resettlement of people into two stages. First stage: 10km zone in four districts, plus all of the Sudzha and Korenevo districts,” he tells Putin.

    “On 8 August, we started [evacuating] all of the six border districts, plus the Bolshoe Soldatskoe and Lgov districts because they are near a nuclear power station. The total is 180,000 people.”

    He adds that 12 civilians have been killed in the region and 121 others wounded.

17. Ukraine controls 28 villages in Kursk – governorpublished at 13:43

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    BBC Monitoring

    Image source, EPA

    Kursk’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov is now speaking at Putin’s meeting with officials.

    Smirnov tells him that Ukraine controls 28 villages in the region.

    “The situation remains difficult,” he says.

    Ukrainian forces are 7.4 miles (12km) deep inside the region, and the front line there is 40km wide, he says.

    Putin interrupts, saying “the defence ministry will report the depth and width” and asks him to “tell us about the social and economic situation and how people are being helped”.

    Smirnov tells Putin that about 2,000 Russian citizens remain in areas occupied by Ukrainian forces in Kursk.

    “We don’t know anything about their fate”, he adds.

18. Ukraine will receive ‘worthy response’, says Putinpublished at 13:33

    More now from Putin’s meeting with officials on the situation in Russia’s regions bordering Ukraine.

    He tells them: “Losses have been mounting dramatically for the armed forces of Ukraine, particularly among the most capable units which the enemy has been sending to our border.

    “The enemy will undoubtedly receive a worthy response, and there is no doubt that we will reach all our objectives.”

19. Putin: ‘We have to kick the enemy out of our territory’published at 13:12

    Breaking

    We’ve just been getting some details from Russia – where Vladimir Putin has convened a meeting of officials on the situation in the border regions.

    He tells the meeting, which is being aired on state television, that “the defence ministry’s main task is to push, to kick the enemy out of our territory”.

    He also says that Ukraine’s motivation for the offensive was to improve its negotiating position.

20. 

    We can’t overestimate the significance of this momentpublished at 13:02

    Sarah Rainsford
    Eastern Europe correspondent

    Will Ukraine’s offensive change Russian public opinion?

    I think it really depends how long it lasts, how deep the Ukrainians go and how it ends – how Vladimir Putin eventually deals with it.

    We can’t overestimate the significance of such a huge incursion by Ukraine: The occupation of Russian territory for the first time since the Second World War.

    So it clearly has the potential to make some Russians think.

    Looking at some of the reporting coming out of Kursk region – even given the very controlled environment for the Russian press – it’s clear that some are asking questions.

    There was an interesting piece in the Kommersant newspaper over the weekend talking to women who’d been forced to flee their homes. They were angry – angry they weren’t given notice, angry that state TV had lied about how serious it was – and angry at the military for failing to contain things.

    So there are questions, but those same people were still talking with support about the occupation of Ukrainian land – and there was no critique of Vladimir Putin.

    It will be interesting to watch how that develops. Because the war has now been brought home to Russians – it’s on their territory, they can’t ignore it.