Putin orders Russian army to drive Ukrainians from Kursk region

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called on his country's armed forces to push back Ukrainian units after their surprise offensive deep into the southern Kursk Region.

"The main task of the Ministry of Defence is now to drive the enemy out of our territories and ensure reliable border security," Putin said when opening a meeting on the crisis, Russian news agencies reported.

The 71-year-old president added that "with the help of its Western masters," the leadership in Kiev wanted to strengthen its future negotiating position with the attack into Russian territory.

However, he ruled out any talks about ending the war that began in February 2022 with a full-scale Russian invasion of its neighbour.

"What kind of negotiations can we even talk about with people who indiscriminately attack civilians and civilian infrastructure or try to jeopardise nuclear power plants?" the state-run TASS news agency quoted Putin as saying.

Following a fire on Sunday at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, both sides are currently blaming each other for the incident.

Under pressure by incremental Russian military gains in its eastern regions, Ukraine launched a surprise attack on Russian territory last Tuesday.

The situation in the Kursk region remains confused. However, it appears that Ukrainian forces penetrated some 30 kilometres across the international border while Russian units scrambled in confusion to react.

According to reports, Ukrainian troops supported by armour have established themselves in many locations while Russian authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of residents.