Russian Ministry of Defence admits that Ukrainian forces approach Sudzha

The warning comes as images show huge fires burning in Russia's Kursk region as Ukraine's assault there entered its sixth day.

UKRAINE have dealt Vladimir Putin another huge blow after blasting a Russian gas rig in the Black Sea, killing 40 soldiers.

The Kremlin has likely opted to declare a counterterrorism operation (CTO) regime instead of martial law to downplay the scale of the incursion into Kursk Oblast and to avoid causing panic or backlash domestically.

Vladimir Putin has been forced to call in reserve troops to tackle what Moscow is calling a “counter-terrorism operation”