Russia battles Ukrainian troops for a third day after major incursion

Similar accusatory reports regarding Gerasimov were circulating on Russian Telegram channels this week, as Ukrainian troops advanced deeper inside the Kursk region.

Ukrainian troops launched a surprise offensive into Russia's western Kursk region on Tuesday, in the most significant attack across the border since Moscow invaded in February 2022.

The Russian leader was forced to declare a ‘federal-level’ state of emergency in the Kursk region as around 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers consolidated their positions following a ‘mini-invasion’ earlier this week.

A huge convoy of Ukrainian tanks stormed into several Russian villages, decimating Putin's soldiers, supplies and buildings in a "masterstroke" cross-border offensive this week.