In an online speech on the evening of August 10, Mr. Zelenskyy said he had discussed this operation with Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi.

"Today, I received a number of reports from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on the situation on the front line and our operations to repel the (Russian) attack... Ukraine is proving that it can put enough pressure on the enemy," Zelenskyy said.

Russian forces are in a sixth day of fierce fighting against Kiev's biggest offensive on Russian territory since the conflict began in February 2022, leaving parts of Russia's southwest vulnerable to attack before reinforcements arrive.

As the situation worsened, Russia imposed a full security regime in three border regions on August 10, while Belarus sent additional troops to the border with Ukraine, accusing Kiev of violating its airspace.

On August 11, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had destroyed 14 Ukrainian drones and four Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles overnight in the Kursk region, along with 18 drones in other areas of Russia that Ukraine frequently attacks.

Early on August 11, Kursk officials said 13 people were injured after debris from a Ukrainian missile fell on a nine-story residential building. It was unclear if there were any further injuries.

Alexei Smirnov, acting governor of the Kursk region, has ordered local authorities to speed up the evacuation of civilians from at-risk areas. On August 10, Russia's TASS news agency reported that more than 76,000 people had been evacuated.

Hoai Phuong (according to TASS, Reuters)