Ukraine-Russia latest: Russian district 'under attack' from Ukraine - as missile alert issued and officials tell people 'go to your basem*nt' (2024)

Vladimir Putin has said the Russian military must "dislodge" Ukrainian troops from border regions.

The Russian president said the invasion in Kursk was an attempt to stop Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

Humanitarian aid is being handed out to residents of Russia's Kursk region after tens of thousands of people were forced to evacuate.

Russian state TV has shown footage of people being given food and other items in Kursk city, as well as volunteers collecting aid and loading trucks.

A regional official earlier called for more residents to flee their homes over the "very tense situation" there.

According to Russian authorities, more than 76,000 people have left their homes in parts of Kursk, where Ukrainian troops launched a surprise invasion last week.

A district in Russia's Belgorod region is "under attack" by Ukrainian forces, an official has claimed.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, regional governor, said the city of Shebekino, in the Shebekinsky district, had been shelled, damaging three apartment buildings and the fence of a pirvate house.

Equipment was damaged at a nearby sports ground, he said.

The village of Novaya Tavolzhanka also came under attack, Mr Gladkov claimed, leading to smashed windows, roofs and fences.

No casualties have been reported.

Last week, the governor said a man had been killed and another wounded by Ukrainian shelling in Shebekino.

Belgorod has come under frequent shelling and drone attacks from Ukraine during the course of the war. It's unclear if this latest assault is linked to the recent Ukrainian invasion inside Russia.

China has called for de-escalation after Ukrainian troops launched a surprise assault inside Russia.

According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Beijing's position was "consistent and clear".

They called on "all parties" to observe the principles for de-escalating the situation - including not letting the fighting spread and avoiding fanning the flames of the conflict.

China will "continue to play a constructive role in facilitating a political settlement of the crisis", according to the spokesperson.

Beijing claims to take a neutral position on the war in Ukraine and has not condemned Russia for its invasion - but has forged increasingly close ties with Moscow as it has gone on.

As Ukrainian troops continue to push inside Russia, a major military showcase near Moscow has been hearing from Vladimir Putin.

In a recorded statement, the Russian president told the Army Forum that the country's domestic weapons industry was "taking into account the combat experience gained during the special military operation" in Ukraine.

More than 120 foreign firms were taking part in the forum, with foreign weapons also on display, according to Mr Putin.

His troops have so far struggled to stop a Ukrainian invasion of Russia's Kursk border region nearly a week ago, which marked a daring challenge to the Kremlin.

Some 11,000 people have been evacuated from the Krasnoyaruzhsky district in Russia's Belgorod region due to activity by Ukrainian forces, a Russian official has said.

District administration headAndrey Miskov said on the VK social media platform that residents left on buses headed for temporary accommodation.

Around 500 residents remain, he said.

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said earlier that the entire region was under a missile alert amid the threat from Ukrainian troops (more in 9.45 post).

He also said evacuations had begun from Krasnoyaruzhsky due to "enemy activity on the border".

Belgorod lies next to Kursk, where Ukrainian forces broke across into on Tuesday.

Ukraine "appears to have the momentum" in its surprise invasion of a border region in Russia - but the situation there is "unstable", a journalist has said.

Speaking to Sky News from Ukraine's Sumy region, Dan Sabbagh, defence and security editor at The Guardian, said Russian military bloggers are reporting that Ukrainian troops have been able to "make further incursions" of several kilometres in different areas.

"Ukraine still very much appears to have the momentum in this surprise incursion," he said.

Mr Sabbagh said "several thousand troops" are being committed to the effort by Kyiv.

"But the situation is inherently unstable," he added.

"War is unpredictable at the best of times, but we really don't know how hard and how coordinated the Russian response will be."

Ukrainians want to 'stick it to Russia'

Mr Sabbagh added that the invasion of Russian territory was being viewed "very positively" inside Ukraine.

He said residents in Sumy, which borders Russia, are "very enthusiastic" and want Moscow to be "put under pressure".

"They feel very strongly, look, it's the Russians that invaded us, so why can't we... stick it to them, if you like."

Vladimir Putin hasn't come up with a "hammer blow" of a response to the invasion so far - and the longer it goes on, the "more damaging" it is for his credibility, Mr Sabbagh said.

"Putin's position remains pretty strong inside Russia. This will certainly chip away at that and he'll be wanting to do something about that."

The cooling tower at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine may need to be replaced, a Russian official has said, according to state media.

It comes after a fire broke out at the Russian-occupied facility late last night, in an incident that Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said its experts at the plant witnessed "thick dark smoke" coming from the northwestern area of the plant, after hearing multiple explosions.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said "reckless attacks" were endangering nuclear safety at the site and called on them to stop.

Russia's Belgorod border region is under missile alert, an official has said, amid a growing threat from Ukrainian troops.

Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov has urged residents in the area to head to shelters.

"The entire territory of the Belgorod region is a MISSILE DANGER. Go down to the basem*nt. Stay there until you receive the signal 'all clear missile danger'," according to a translation of his message on Telegram.

Earlier, he said residents in the region's Krasnoyaruzhsky district were being evacuated as Ukraine's military was "active" nearby.

Kyiv has increased activity near the border just days afterlaunching a surprise invasion of Russian territory.

A strike in Kyiv last night claimed the life of a 35-year-old man and his son.

The attack came shortly after the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, confirmed the operation inside Russia.