Russia on Saturday announced what it called a counterterrorism operation to increase security in the border region of Kursk, where an incursion this week by Ukrainian forces caught Russian troops off-guard and exposed its military vulnerabilities in the nearly 2½-year-old war.
It has seen the Ukrainian forces reportedly threatening to seize one regional town over six miles inside Russian territory.
UKRAINE have dealt Vladimir Putin another huge blow after blasting a Russian gas rig in the Black Sea, killing 40 soldiers.
Moscow has deployed troops to the Kursk region after a Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory that has raised major questions for the Kremlin and handed Kyiv a major opportunity.