New satellite images have exposed the growing panic inside the Kremlin over Ukraine’s dramatic advance into Russia.
Kyiv’s incursion into the border region of Kursk has entered its second week, with Russia forced to evacuate at least 200,000 people so far.
The latest satellite images from Maxar, taken on August 12 but released on August 14, show Russians scrambling to build “fortifications” including trenches and anti-vehicle ditches miles away from the current position of Ukrainian forces. The fortifications spotted in Lgov are around 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) north of “the furthest claimed limit of Ukrainian advances in Kursk”, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.
The ISW analysts claim this suggests that Vladimir Putin is “concerned about potential continued and rapid Ukrainian mechanised northward advances”. The Russian military appears to be “particularly concerned” that Ukraine could seize control of major highways and cut off communication and transport routes inside the country.
Within a week, Ukraine has managed to capture almost as much Russian land in Kursk as Russian forces took in Ukraine in the last seven months, according to the US-based security think tank.
There are also signs that Russia is struggling to build up its defences in time.
Job listings have appeared on the Russian website Avito offering between 150,000-371,000 roubles (approximately £1,300 – £3,200) for workers to dig fortifications in Kursk.
The advert says the fortifications would make up a “second line of defence” and that work involved “digging trenches round the clock”.
The past week has humiliated Putin at home and abroad.
The western border regions of Kursk and Belgorod have both declared a state of emergency, while Ukraine has said it controls around 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) of Russia and 74 towns and villages.
On Wednesday, Ukraine said their forces have moved forward in several directions while Russia has repeatedly insisted it has blocked further advances in the region.
Also on Wednesday, Ukrainian troops said they took more than 100 Russian soldiers prisoner in Kursk.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, later said these troops would eventually be part of a prisoner-of-war swap.
Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Heorhiy Tykhy said Kyiv was not interested in “taking over” Russian territory, and suggested the area could be used in future peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that Ukrainian forces can use British weapons on Russian soil when defending itself.
An MoD spokesperson says Ukraine has a “clear right of self-defence against Russia’s illegal attacks…that does not preclude operations inside Russia”.
They added: “We make clear during the gifting process that equipment is to be used in line with international law.”