Ukraine claims more advances as troops press on incursion into Russia

Ukrainian forces pushed on with their major cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region for a second week Wednesday, claiming to have taken more ground, captured more Russian prisoners and destroyed a jet bomber.

Since the start of the day, assault troops had advanced 1-2 kilometers (miles) in some parts of Kursk, the commander of the Ukrainian military, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a video posted on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel.

Also, Ukrainian troops on Wednesday took more than 100 Russian soldiers prisoner, Syrskyi said. Zelenskyy said they would be used to swap for Ukrainian POWs.

Ukraine’s General Staff added that troops deployed in Kursk destroyed a Russian Su-34 jet used to launch devastating glide bombs at Ukrainian front-line positions and cities.

The surprise Ukrainian charge onto Russian soil that began Aug. 6 has rattled the Kremlin. The daring Kursk operation is the largest attack on Russia since World War II and could involve as many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops backed by armor and artillery, military analysts say.

A Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday that Kyiv has no intention of occupying the Russian territory it says it is holding. The goal is to stop Russia from firing missiles into Ukraine from Kursk, he said.

Meanwhile, Russia’s Belgorod border region declared a regional emergency Wednesday under heavy Ukrainian shelling. A federal emergency was declared in Kursk last Saturday.

Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov described the situation there as “extremely difficult and tense” as the attacks destroyed homes and caused civilian casualties, unnerving local people.

Children in particular are being moved to safety, he said on his Telegram channel, adding that about 5,000