Ukraine cross-border raids in Russia: thousands evacuated from Kursk region
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00:00According to the Kremlin, the highlighted areas in these images indicate Ukrainian
00:04army positions within the southwest Russian region of Kursk before their hit with artillery.
00:10This Russian military handout claims to show a helicopter attacking yet more Ukrainian forces
00:15in Kursk. In a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin, Russia's top general vowed
00:20to crush what appears to be a major raid by Ukrainian troops into Russian territory.
00:26Airstrikes, missile forces and artillery fire stopped the enemy's advance inland
00:31into Russian territory towards Kursk.
00:35Putin called it a large-scale provocation as he convened a number of emergency government
00:40meetings. Though it's not Ukraine's first military operation inside Russia,
00:45the incursion marks the first time regular Ukrainian army troops have taken part.
00:50Moscow says up to a thousand Ukrainian soldiers, along with dozens of tanks and
00:54armoured vehicles, crossed the border north of the Ukrainian town of Sumy,
00:58with one line of attack making significant headway towards the Russian town of Suja.
01:02Kremlin sources say Ukrainian shelling has killed several civilians in Suja
01:07and forced thousands more to evacuate.
01:10Kiev has yet to comment on the situation beyond a subtle reference from President
01:14Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.
01:18The more pressure exerted on Russia, on the aggressor that brought the war to Ukraine,
01:22the closer peace will be. Just peace through just force.
01:29Analysts have questioned the wisdom of such an operation at a moment when Ukrainian troops
01:33are already overstretched and outgunned along the lines of Russia's invasion inside their own
01:39territory. Washington, Kiev's top military and financial backer,
01:43says it is seeking clarification from Ukrainian leaders about their objectives.