Zelenskyy admits Ukraine pushing into Russian territory

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that Ukrainian forces were fighting in Russia's Kursk. /Reuters

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged for the first time that Ukrainian forces were fighting in Russia's Kursk, as attacks on the border region continued with authorities rushing to evacuate people.

Moscow's forces were in their sixth day of intense battles against Kyiv's largest incursion into Russian territory since the start of the war, which left southwestern parts of Russia vulnerable before reinforcement started arriving.

In a sign of the gravity of the situation, Russia imposed a sweeping security regime in three border regions on Saturday, while Belarus sent more troops to its border with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of violating its air space.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said he had discussed the operation with top Ukrainian commander Oleksandr Syrskyi.

"Today, I received several reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding the frontlines and our actions to push the war onto the aggressor's territory," Zelenskyy said. "Ukraine is proving it can indeed restore justice and ensure the necessary pressure on the aggressor."

A view shows an apartment building that was damaged, according to local authorities, by debris from a downed Ukraine-launched missile, in Kursk, Russia. /Mayor of Kursk Igor Kutsak via Telegram/Handout via Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin cast the Ukrainian attack on Kursk - which military analysts say caught the Kremlin off-guard - as a major provocation.

His top general Valery Gerasimov said earlier this week the attacks had been halted but Russia has not pushed the Ukrainian forces back over the border.

Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said she had sent an appeal to the United Nations, demanding it condemn Ukraine's actions in Kursk.

Meanwhile, Belarus sent more troops to reinforce its border with Ukraine on Saturday, saying Ukrainian drones had violated its airspace.

Belarus' Foreign Ministry summoned Ukraine's charge d'affaires, demanded measures to ensure such incidents would not recur and suggested a repeat would prompt Belarus to consider whether Kyiv's diplomatic presence in Minsk was "appropriate".

President Alexander Lukashenko, addressing a meeting in eastern Belarus, said air defence forces on Friday destroyed several of "about a dozen" Ukrainian drones after they violated Belarusian airspace in the Mogilev region bordering Russia.

"I don't understand why Ukraine had to do this. We have to look into it," the BELTA news agency quoted him as saying. "But we have... made ourselves clear and conveyed to them that any provocation will not go unanswered."

An explosion is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian missile and drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine in Kyiv. /Gleb Garanich/Reuters

Drones hit Kyiv

Ukrainian forces destroyed 53 out 57 attack drones launched by Russia during an overnight air strike, Kyiv's air force said on Sunday.

Zelenskyy said the overnight air strike on the Kyiv region left a father and his four-year-old son dead.

"According to preliminary information, the Russians used a DPRK missile in this attack" he wrote on social media. "Pyrotechnic experts are still working to determine the exact data regarding this missile."

Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday it had destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones and four missiles overnight over the Kursk region and 18 drones over other Russian regions.