Members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been filmed replacing the Russian flag with theirs in a hammer blow to Vladimir Putin.
President Volodymyr Zelensky this weekend officially acknowledged a surprise military incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region to “push the war out into the aggressor’s territory.”
Kyiv’s army has reportedly been able to advance as deep as 30km into the Russian region, reportedly leaving Putin “scared and seething” over the ongoing operation.
Footage has since emerged purportedly showing Ukrainian troops raising their flag in the newly “occupied” Russian village of Guevo.
The soldiers can be heard laughing as they walk around the village, located only a few miles north of the Russia-Ukraine border.
One serviceman can be seen walking up to a building to pass the Ukrainian flag to a fellow soldier who then climbs up the wall to place it.
The Ukrainian troops can then be seen stomping on the Russian flag while the man filming is heard laughing as he observes the Ukrainian flag flying from its new position.
Ukraine’s incursion is the largest such attack since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
The raid into Russia caught Moscow unaware and caused significant embarrassment to military leaders.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, as of Monday, Ukrainian troops have infiltrated up to 30km inside Russia.
The Ministry said its forces had engaged Ukrainian personnel near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of “intimidating the peaceful population of Russia” with its operation.
She also said Ukraine “understands perfectly well” that the recent attacks “make no sense from a military point of view”.
Additional footage purportedly showed Ukrainian troops seizing control of administrative buildings in the villages of Sverdlikovo and Poroz.
Russia confirmed that 76,000 people have been evacuated along border areas in the Kursk region since the start of the offensive last week.
The exact aims of the operation remain unclear, and Ukrainian military officials have adopted a policy of secrecy, presumably to ensure its success.
Military experts have said it is likely intended to draw Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. A presidential adviser suggested it may strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any future negotiations with Russia.