Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin ‘concerned’ over Kyiv’s advance as 20,000 people ordered to evacuate Kursk

Russian troops have hastily built fortifications miles north of Ukraine’s frontline in Kursk in a sign Vladimir Putin is “concerned” about Kyiv’s advance, a US think tank said.

New satellite images from Maxar show a series of field fortifications — including trenches and anti-vehicle ditches — have been built in the Lgov area.

The Institute for the Study of War said this suggests the Russian military was “concerned about potential continued and rapid Ukrainian mechanised northward advances”.

It comes as authorities in Russia’s Kursk region have decided to evacuate a population of 20,000 people from the Glushkov district amid the continued advance of Ukrainian forces into the border region.

Meanwhile, Kyiv carried out its largest long-range drone strike of the war on four Russian military airfields, security sources claimed.

The strike, which targeted Russia’s Voronezh, Kursk, Savasleyka and Borisoglebsk air bases up to 500 miles over the border, was aimed to undermine Moscow’s ability to use warplanes for glide bomb attacks.

Russian troops have hastily built fortifications miles north of Ukraine’s frontline in Kursk in a sign Vladimir Putin is “concerned” about Kyiv’s advance, a US think tank said.

New satellite images from Maxar show a series of field fortifications — including trenches and anti-vehicle ditches - have been built in the Lgov area.

The Institute for the Study of War said this suggests the Russian military was “concerned about potential continued and rapid Ukrainian mechanised northward advances”.

The Russian government is offering between $1,600 (£1,246) and $4,000 (£3,115) for digging trenches in the Kursk region in an effort to deter Ukraine’s military advancement, CNN reported.

Moscow posted online