Belgorod

Responding in a post on Telegram, the Ukrainian military's general staff said the situation on the battlefield was "difficult" but insisted its forces were still holding positions in Kursk and continuing an incursion in Russia's Belgorod region.

Two people were also killed in a Ukrainian strike on the Russian region of Belgorod, the local governor said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has publicly acknowledged for the first time that his troops are active in Russia's Belgorod region.

Russia's military had last month reported Ukrainian attempts to cross over into the Belgorod region - but said such attacks had been rebuffed.

In his video address late on Monday, Zelensky said he had been briefed by his top commander Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi about the situation on the front, "including our presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions".