Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (2024)

Table of Contents
Summary Live Reporting What does Ukraine do with seized territory now?published at 17:24 British Summer Time 14 August17:24 BST 14 August Ukraine's incursion is likely about politics rather than a military goalpublished at 17:20 British Summer Time 14 August17:20 BST 14 August Listen: what could the incursion mean for the war's future?published at 17:13 British Summer Time 14 August17:13 BST 14 August Ukraine’s bold move restores lost confidencepublished at 16:53 British Summer Time 14 August16:53 BST 14 August Putin is to blame for Ukraine's incursion - former defence advisorpublished at 16:41 British Summer Time 14 August16:41 BST 14 August How does Ukraine's land capture compare to Russia's?published at 16:24 British Summer Time 14 August16:24 BST 14 August What's the latest on the ground?published at 16:12 British Summer Time 14 August16:12 BST 14 August Ukraine has 'right' to use Nato weapons, says Latvian FMpublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 14 August16:02 BST 14 August Russian TV urges calm, suggests Ukraine's incursion 'blocked'published at 15:41 British Summer Time 14 August15:41 BST 14 August How damaging is this for Putin?published at 15:23 British Summer Time 14 August15:23 BST 14 August Zelensky considers setting up 'military offices' in Kurskpublished at 14:54 British Summer Time 14 August14:54 BST 14 August Ukraine says it will open evacuation routes out of Kurskpublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 14 August14:45 BST 14 August This is a serious psychological blow to Putin, says ex-Russian PMpublished at 14:26 British Summer Time 14 August14:26 BST 14 August It's day nine - why hasn't Russia managed to push Ukraine out yet?published at 14:14 British Summer Time 14 August14:14 BST 14 August Ukraine's top military commander claims to control Sudzhapublished at 13:48 British Summer Time 14 August13:48 BST 14 August What's the latest?published at 13:25 British Summer Time 14 August13:25 BST 14 August 'Glory to Ukraine!' - Ukrainian TV airs report from Russian townpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 14 August12:49 BST 14 August Ukraine 'captures more than 100 Russian soldiers'published at 12:26 British Summer Time 14 August12:26 BST 14 August Ukraine advancing in multiple directions in Kursk, says Zelenskypublished at 11:57 British Summer Time 14 August11:57 BST 14 AugustBreaking Ukraine not in full control of Sudzha, says Russian commanderpublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 14 August11:47 BST 14 August References

Summary

  • President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian troops are advancing deeper into Russia's Kursk region as part of a surprise incursion launched nine days ago

  • He says a military administration is being set up in the settlement of Sudzha

  • This comes as a UK source confirms to the BBC that British Challenger 2 tanks have been used in Ukraine's incursion into Russia

  • Meanwhile, Russia's defence minister says he is overseeing plans to "safeguard the border population", including by allocating more forces to the area

  • Moscow has insisted that it is pushing Ukrainian troops back, and claims to have retaken a settlement in the Kursk region

Live Reporting

Edited by Nathan Williams and Sophie Abdulla

  1. Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (1)

    What does Ukraine do with seized territory now?published at 17:24 British Summer Time 14 August

    17:24 BST 14 August

    Jonathan Beale
    Defence correspondent

    It’s still not clear how long Ukraine will try to hold on to its territorial gains – whether it wants to use it as some kind of bargaining chip for any potential peace talks in the future.

    But Justin Crump, a former British Army Officer, says holding on to territory could prove less costly than taking ground, dependent on how Russia reacts. The evidence so far suggests that Russia views this as an incursion, rather than an invasion and is still more focussed on keeping up its grinding offensive in Eastern Ukraine.

    What’s happened in Kursk is a symbolic rather than a decisive blow for President Putin.

    The greatest threat to Ukrainian forces now is not having enough troops to control all the territory it’s seized -making them more vulnerable to infiltration, ambushes and sabotage.

    It’s still not clear how many Ukrainian troops have been involved in this operation, but Crump estimates it’s a well-trained force of between six to 18,000.

    Russian airstrikes will also be a concern. But Ukraine’s raiding forces appear to have been prepared for that – already claiming to have shot down a number Russian helicopters and jets.

    This incursion will not be enough to create panic in the Kremlin, but it’s already extracting a toll.

  2. Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (2)

    Ukraine's incursion is likely about politics rather than a military goalpublished at 17:20 British Summer Time 14 August

    17:20 BST 14 August

    Jonathan Beale
    Defence correspondent

    The militarytheorist Carl Von Klausewitz described war as a continuation of politics byother means.

    And Ukraine’s surprise incursion into Russia is likely to be moreabout politics, than any specific military objective.

    Justin Crump,a former British Army Officer and head of the strategic risk consultancySibylline, describes the latest Ukrainian offensive as a gamble driven by theneed to show the country is still in the fight, after a year of militarysetbacks.

    He says President Zelensky needed to give his war-weary population awin, and to show his western backers Ukraine can still inflict pain on Russia.Time is not on Ukraine’s side with limited resources and western support lesscertain the longer the war drags on.

  3. Listen: what could the incursion mean for the war's future?published at 17:13 British Summer Time 14 August

    17:13 BST 14 August

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (3)

    Could this offensive sway the dynamics of the war in Kyiv’s favour?

    The Global Podcast's Sumi Somaskanda has been speaking to BBC Monitoring’s Russia Editor Vitaly Shevchenko and his colleague Francis Scarr about what the offensive could mean for the future of the war, and how Ukraine might capitalise on its gains.

    Shevchenko says Ukraine's incursion is a "huge gamble", adding that Ukrainian soldiers in south-eastern Ukraine might be wondering what Western equipment is doing in the Russian city of Kursk when they need it.

    • Click here to listen to The Global Story's latest episode.
  4. Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (4)

    Ukraine’s bold move restores lost confidencepublished at 16:53 British Summer Time 14 August

    16:53 BST 14 August

    Frank Gardner
    Security correspondent

    Ukraine’ssurprise cross-border incursion has gone some way towards restoring Westernconfidence in its land warfare capabilities.

    For months the narrative has beenfairly depressing for Ukraine and its allies: a slow, incremental Russian advancein the Donbas, a relentless bombardment of its cities by Russian drones andmissiles, a looming uncertainty over a possible second Trump presidency and aloss of US military aid.

    True, Ukraine has successfully driven the Russian navyout of the northwest corner of the Black Sea.

    It has also shown it can hittargets like distant airfields and ammo depots deep within Russia.

    But thefailure of Ukraine’s summer offensive last year led many to conclude that onland at least, Ukraine was ultimately on a losing trajectory.

    We still don’tknow of course, how this incursion will end. For Putin and the Kremlin, it iscertainly intolerable and they will be in no mood to make concessions to Kyiv.

    But for now, Ukraine has shown itself more than capable of managing "combinedarms warfare" – using all the elements like tanks, artillery, air defence etc –drawing praise from numerous western military experts.

  5. Putin is to blame for Ukraine's incursion - former defence advisorpublished at 16:41 British Summer Time 14 August

    16:41 BST 14 August

    A former advisor to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence says he doesn't think Russia is able to "escalate beyond the point that we've seen so far" following Ukrainian troops entering Russian territory.

    Speaking to our colleagues on the BBC News Channel from Kyiv, Alexander Khara says he's not expecting Russia to do anything that it hasn't done since 2022.

    Khara adds that he doesn't think there'll be any cases of "deliberate pain and deliberate damage" to Russian civilians by Ukrainian soldiers, but he adds that he expects Russians to "behave brutally".

    "It’sPutin who is to blame for the war in general and for the Ukrainian move toincur into the Russian territory," he says.

    "We want to survive, it’s a struggle for our existence, andwe’re trying to do whatever is possible to make it through, and to deter Russiafrom further annexation of Ukrainian territory”.

    Return to the latest post

  6. How does Ukraine's land capture compare to Russia's?published at 16:24 British Summer Time 14 August

    16:24 BST 14 August

    On Monday, Ukraine's top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said the country's forces had taken control of around 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russian territory during its Kursk incursion.

    The figure has been met with scepticism by some experts, with analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) saying that Ukrainian forces have advanced "roughly 800 sq km" - although the ISW stressed they were not certain Ukraine is in full control of all this territory.

    The open-source online Ukrainian analytics group Deep State said on Monday that 800 sq km of Russian territory was under Ukrainian control and the situation in a further 230 sq km of land within Russia's territory was unknown.

    Meanwhile, Russia is thought to have taken control of an additional 1,175 sq km of Ukrainian territory between January and July this year, according to the ISW report., external

    If you'd like to know more about the situation on the ground, our Visual Journalism Team has been tracking recent significant advancements in the war in maps.

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (5)

  7. What's the latest on the ground?published at 16:12 British Summer Time 14 August

    16:12 BST 14 August

    We're getting more reports on what's happening on the ground in Russia as Kyiv pushes on with its offensive in Kursk. Here's the latest:

    • The governor of Belgorod Vyacheslav Gladkov says in a Telegram post that drone attacks in the Shebekinsky district hit a bus and a private plot, injuring two people
    • Russia's state Tass news agency reports that the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, has said that a missile warning signal has now been cancelled in the region. He earlier warned residents to take shelter after sounding an alert siren
    • Ukraine says its army will allow the evacuation of civilians from Russia's Kursk region and admit international humanitarian organisations to the area
    • Ukraine's commander-in-chief has claimed that Ukrainian troops now fully control the Russian border town of Sudzha, though the BBC is unable to independently verify this
  8. Ukraine has 'right' to use Nato weapons, says Latvian FMpublished at 16:02 British Summer Time 14 August

    16:02 BST 14 August

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (6)Image source, EPA

    Latvia's Foreign Minister Baiba Braze defended Ukraine's incursion into Russia, adding that Kyiv "has the right" to use weapons supplied by Nato.

    Latvia is one of Ukraine's staunchest Nato allies and gives 2.25% of its GDP in military aid every year.

    Braze remarks come as Russian President Vladimir Putin previously described the use of Nato weapons on Russian territory as a "red line".

    "They are Ukrainian weapons," Braze said in an interview with the BBC's Newshour programme, adding that "a consultation among legal experts within Nato countries" has concluded that "the right to self defence also covers the right to counter attack."

    Braze dismissed claims from Russian officials that civilians are being killed by Ukrainian forces as "propaganda".

    "It has been very clear from Ukrainian communication from the first moment that their attacks are against military objects," she said.

  9. Russian TV urges calm, suggests Ukraine's incursion 'blocked'published at 15:41 British Summer Time 14 August

    15:41 BST 14 August

    Jen Monaghan
    BBC Monitoring

    The Ukrainian incursion continues to be a top story on Russian state-controlled TV - although actual details remain thin on the ground.

    Maj Gen Apti Alaudinov, commanderof Chechnya's Akhmat special forces unit, attempts to calm Channel One viewers' nerves, telling them not to listen to certain bloggers spreading "panic".

    Alaudinov concedes that Ukrainiantroops have managed to take a certain number of settlements in Kursk, but addsthat Russian forces have almost "completely blocked" their furtheradvance.

    "Isolated" Ukrainiansabotage and reconnaissance groups are meanwhile being monitored by the Russianside, he claims.

    Alaudinov was even more defiant incomments aired on state Rossiya 1's 60 Minutes talk show. "We've already sunk our teethin, and it's unlikely that we'll let the enemy go until we completely rip outits Adam's apple," he said.

  10. How damaging is this for Putin?published at 15:23 British Summer Time 14 August

    15:23 BST 14 August

    Steve Rosenberg
    BBC Russia editor

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (7)Image source, Reuters

    During the past two-and-a-half years there have been several "watershed"moments that many have thought would be potentially damaging for President Vladimir Putin.

    There was the sinking of the Moskva flagship of the Black Sea fleet; the declaration of partial mobilisation, which sparked alarm in Russian society; and thenlast year the armed mutiny, when mercenaries marched on Moscow.

    Putin got through all of that, and he would beconfident, I think, that he will get through this latest challenge as well.

    But unlike the mutiny, which lasted a day, we are now in day nine of Ukraine’s incursioninto Russia and Putin will be very keen to end this as soon aspossible, before it damages him politically.

    He has styled himself over the past 25 years as "Mr Security" - as the only man in Russia who can make people feel safe and secure.

    His so-called special military operation was, on paper, designed to boost Russia’s national security buttwo and a half years later there's more Nato on Russia’s borders, almost daily drone attacks on a string of Russian towns, and now you have Ukrainiansoldiers in Russia seizing territory.

  11. Zelensky considers setting up 'military offices' in Kurskpublished at 14:54 British Summer Time 14 August

    14:54 BST 14 August

    More now on Ukraine's plans in Russia's Kursk region - and President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is considering creating "military commandant's offices" in the region, "if necessary".

    In a meeting he held with government officials earlier today, Zelensky says they spoke about key issues for the area since Ukraine's incursion - namely security and humanitarian aid.

    In a post shared on Facebook, external, Zelensky stresses that "Ukraine is defending itself and the lives of its people" but it will strictly follow international law.

  12. Ukraine says it will open evacuation routes out of Kurskpublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 14 August

    14:45 BST 14 August

    Ukraine says it is creating a "security zone" in Russia's Kursk region - in a bid to protect their own border areas.

    The Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk outlined her plan in a post on Telegram, external.

    She says Ukraine will organise humanitarian aid for Russian civilians in the security zone area, and also open evacuation corridors towards Russia and also towards Ukraine.

  13. This is a serious psychological blow to Putin, says ex-Russian PMpublished at 14:26 British Summer Time 14 August

    14:26 BST 14 August

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (8)Image source, Reuters

    President Putin "is in absolute shock" following Ukraine's incursion, a former Russian prime minister and Putin critic has told the BBC's World at One programme.

    Mikhail Kasyanov says that it is "a serious psychological blow" to Putin.

    Kasyanov served between 2000 and 2004 while Putin was president and he now leads the opposition People's Freedom party from Latvia.

    Putin may respond by "bombing one or another city, or something painful for Ukrainians," Kasyanov says.

  14. It's day nine - why hasn't Russia managed to push Ukraine out yet?published at 14:14 British Summer Time 14 August

    14:14 BST 14 August

    Will Vernon
    Reporting from London

    The lightning Ukrainian offensive is now in its ninth day, and Russia is not only struggling to push Ukraine back, but appears incapable of even stopping the advance.

    State TV shows pictures of Russian tanks being loaded up to be sent to Kursk region. But analysts say the Russian military doesn’t have sufficient reserves for the operation. Mothers of Russian conscript soldiers tell journalists their young sons will soon be sent to the region - hardly the elite force necessary for repelling battle-hardened Ukrainian troops.

    Over the past few months, Moscow has been carrying out its own offensive in eastern Ukraine, throwing waves of troops against the Ukrainian defensive lines in order to capture a few kilometres of territory. The UK Ministry of Defence said Russia lost 70,000 men in just two months - an average of around 1,000 per day. Russia, it seems, has few reserves left.

    Military experts say Ukraine has better intelligence, including from Western allies, and better trained soldiers. Its command structure is more efficient than Russia’s. Kyiv launched its assault at the weakest point in the Russian lines and its highly agile forces managed to punch deep into Russian territory.

    Last year, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Wagner mercenaries mutinied and marched hundreds of kilometres towards Moscow. Then, as now, the Russian military appeared powerless to stop them.

  15. Ukraine's top military commander claims to control Sudzhapublished at 13:48 British Summer Time 14 August

    13:48 BST 14 August

    Ukraine's commander-in-chief has claimed that Ukrainian troops now fully control the Russian border town of Sudzha.

    In a video shared on Telegram, Oleksandr Syrskyi can be seen telling President Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukrainian forces have now "completed" its "search and destruction" of Russian troops in Suzha, a town within the Kursk region.

    The BBC is unable to independently verify this and it is uncertain exactly what proportion of Russia's territory in Kursk has been seized by Kyiv.

    However, as we reported a little earlier, a Ukrainian television report filmed inside the Russian town of Sudzha showed Ukrainian soldiers removing a Russian flag from a local school.

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (9)

  16. What's the latest?published at 13:25 British Summer Time 14 August

    13:25 BST 14 August

    It is now more than one week since Ukraine launched its incursion into Kursk, western Russia. Here's the latest:

    • Ukraine's top military commander says its forces have captured more than 100 Russian soldiers in Kursk today
    • While President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces have moved forward in multiple directions today. It comes as Ukraine claims it controls around 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russia and 74 towns and villages
    • A state of emergency has been declared in a second Russian region - Belgorod - which borders Ukraine. The local governor says the region suffered 23 drone attacks in the past 24 hours
    • Russia - which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 - says the prospect of peace talks are on a "long pause" due to Ukraine's operations inside its territory
    • Click here to see the latest developments on the map - our colleagues have been updating their maps throughout today as we get new information
  17. 'Glory to Ukraine!' - Ukrainian TV airs report from Russian townpublished at 12:49 British Summer Time 14 August

    12:49 BST 14 August

    Vitaliy Shevchenko
    BBC Monitoring

    Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (10)Image source, 1+1 Ukraine

    Ukrainian television has shown a report filmed in theRussian town of Sudzha - a key settlement in Kursk region which is at leastpartly controlled by Ukrainian forces.

    It shows Ukrainian soldiers removing aRussian flag from a local school and throwing it onto the ground.

    "Glory to Ukraine!" the soldiers are heard shouting as OnePlus One war correspondent Natalia Nahorna reports from the scene.

    "Glory toheroes!" she responds, completing the slogan widely used by Ukrainians in thiswar.

    This is the first Ukrainian TV report from a captured Russian town - an extraordinary development almost two-and-a-half years after the start of the full-scale invasion.

    Her report also features footage of what Nahorna says is a Russian military convoy destroyed by Ukrainian forces.

    She describes damage to Sudzha as “insignificant” and mostlycaused by Russian bombs.

    "I'm still emotional," she says, smiling, aftercrossing the border back into Ukraine. "But I'd never heard so manyexplosions from air-dropped bombs before."

  18. Ukraine 'captures more than 100 Russian soldiers'published at 12:26 British Summer Time 14 August

    12:26 BST 14 August

    More now from the message just posted on social media by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    He is seen speaking via video with top military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.

    Syrskyi tells the president that Ukrainian forces have today captured more than 100 Russian servicemen in Russia's Kursk region.

    "I am grateful to everyone involved," adds Zelensky on X, external. "This will accelerate the return of our guys and girls home."

  19. Ukraine advancing in multiple directions in Kursk, says Zelenskypublished at 11:57 British Summer Time 14 August

    11:57 BST 14 AugustBreaking

    President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Ukrainian forces are continuing to advance further into Russia's Kursk region.

    In a message on social media, the Ukrainian leader says forces have moved forward one to two kilometres in various directions today.

    The BBC is unable to independently verify this and it's uncertain exactly how much Russian territory has been seized.

  20. Ukraine not in full control of Sudzha, says Russian commanderpublished at 11:47 British Summer Time 14 August

    11:47 BST 14 August

    It is not clear who holds the town of Sudzha in Kursk.

    Ukraine previously said it had reached the town - and Ukrainian state television aired a report this morning showing troops pulling down aRussian flag from an official building in the town.

    But one senior Russian commander - Major General Apti Alaudinov - says the Ukrainian army does not have full control there, Russia's state Tass news agency reports.

    He says “the enemy is around and in some parts of the city”, adding that there were active clashes everyday - but Ukraine was not "completely in control of Sudzha".

    Tass also reports quotes from the head of the Sudzhansky district (where Sudzha is in) who says there’s a temporary lull in Ukrainian shelling in the area.

Kyiv says troops advancing further in Russia, as BBC told UK tanks used in incursion (2024)

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