Putin vows to 'kick the enemy out' as Ukraine pushes into Russian territory Watch live

The governor of the Kursk region – which Ukraine entered last Tuesday – told Putin that Ukrainian troops now control 28 villages there.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukraine will get a "worthy response" for its incursion into Russian territory – and that Russian forces will "kick the enemy out".

Mr Putin, in a meeting with regional governors and other officials on Monday, said Losses have been mounting dramatically for the armed forces of Ukraine, particularly among the most capable units which the "enemy" has been sending to its border.

"The enemy will undoubtedly receive a worthy response, and there is no doubt that we will reach all our objectives," Putin said.

The governor of the Kursk region – which Ukraine entered last Tuesday – told Putin that Ukrainian troops now control 28 villages there.

Ukrainian troops are 12km deep inside the area, he said.

Smirnov tells Putin that Ukraine controls 28 villages in the region.

"The situation remains difficult," he says.

Putin interrupts, saying "the defence ministry will report the depth and width" and asks him to "tell us about the social and economic situation and how people are being helped".

Smirnov tells Putin that about 2,000 Russian citizens remain in areas occupied by Ukrainian forces in Kursk.

"We don't know anything about their fate", he adds.

"As per your instructions... we've divided the resettlement of people into two stages. First stage: 10km zone in four districts, plus all of the Sudzha and Korenevo districts," he tells Putin.

"On August 8, we started [evacuating] all of the six border districts, plus the Bolshoe Soldatskoe and Lgov districts because they are near a nuclear power station. The total is 180,000 people."

He adds that 12 civilians have been killed in the region and 121 others wounded.

The Kursk governor added that 121,000 people have now been evacuated from their homes – with 59,000 more to go. In Belgorod, the region next to Kursk, about 11,000 people were told to leave this morning.

Ukraine now controls around 1,000 sq km of territory in Russia's Kursk region and is continuing its military offensive, according to the country's army chief.

Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi made the announcement in a video shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.

Zelensky says he has ordered a "humanitarian plan" to be drawn up for the area.

The BBC Security Corresponded, Gordon Corera, says Ukraine’s push into Russia took almost everyone by surprise.

"It is a bold move but also potentially a risky one. But Kyiv seems to be hoping it can change the dynamics of a conflict which had been heading more in Moscow’s favour this year," Corera tells the BBC.

Trying to hold on to and occupy Russian territory for any length of time will be challenging if not impossible, given it would be a humiliation for Vladimir Putin, meaning he will bring significant force to bear.

But the push into the Kursk region could be aimed at relieving some pressure in the Donbas where Russia has been making slow but steady advances.

In the short term, Russia may move some of its forces to eject Ukraine but also in the longer term Moscow might also feel it has to deploy more forces across the border region in order to prevent a repeat performance.

"But the biggest benefit to Ukraine may be psychological," Corera says.

"It signals to both the Ukrainian people and Kyiv’s Western allies that the war is not all going in one direction and there remain ways to reshape the contours of this conflict."