FIRE & FURY
Watch moment Ukraine launches daring assault on Russian hideout as relentless gunfire sends sparks flying in Kursk
Dramatic footage shows Ukraine launching precision strikes at buildings in Kursk
THIS is the dramatic moment Ukraine's troops launched a devastating assault on a Russian hideout as they continue to wreak havoc in Kursk.
Footage shows relentless gunfire, plumes of smoke and fires erupting across a small village as Ukraine's armed forces target buildings used by Putin's men.
5
5
5
Video shows Ukraine's 95th Air Assault Brigade using Marder BMP tanks to launch precision strikes at Russian buildings - many of which are already up in flames.
The gunfire sends sparks flying across the settlement of Mala Loknya in the Suzhan district.
Plumes of smoke can be seen billowing into the sky as flames rip through buildings.
Posts online shared by the Armed Forces of Ukraine say the operation was carried out by the 95th separate airborne assault brigade of the Polish Army.
read more in Ukraine war
A statement posted alongside the footage says: "Pretty well-equipped firing points and combat positions of the Russians came under a powerful strike of Polish paratroopers.
"The opponent suffered significant losses in manpower, technology and other material resources."
Kyiv's brave forces have been pushing into villages across the Russian border since August 6 amid the first-ever invasion on Russian soil since World War Two.
It comes as dramatic first-person footage showed Ukrainian special forces raiding Putin's land using Humvees and obliterating Russian military positions.
Most read in The Sun
Massive inferno engulfs Russian oil depot in another blow to Vlad's war machine
Heart-stopping footage shows how brave Ukrainian troops have been gaining ground on Putin's land.
The clip starts with Ukraine's special forces packed in Humvees blasting their way into Russia.
Soldiers sitting atop the armoured vehicles can be seen using rocket launchers to obliterate enemy targets.
The incredible footage comes just days after crack Ukrainian troops blitzed a £15million Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter out of the sky amid Kyiv's daring Kursk siege.
Dramatic footage shows the "alligator" military chopper bursting into flames after it was shot down by Kyiv's anti-aircraft missile system.
A portable surface-to-air rocket was used down the helicopter which had been targeting Ukrainian troops after they began their cross-border incursion.
The chopper then plunged to the ground near the village of Oleshnya.
Footage of the wreckage shows the obliterated aircraft after it was abandoned by the Russians.
Further footage caught the moment Kyiv's forces destroyed a key bridge in Kursk in a massive blow to Putin's war supply lines.
The opponent suffered significant losses in manpower, technology and other material resources
Armed Forces of Ukraine
The bridge over the River Seym collapsed after bursting into flames following a missile strike.
Russian Telegram channels claimed it was hammered by US-supplied HIMARS missiles.
The bridge was a crucial supply route for Putin as it was near the Ukrainian border and crossed the Seym River next to the key town of Glushkovsko.
Its destruction "cut off" Putin's troops within their own country and threatened a major Ukrainian victory as their army advanced.
On Thursday night, Ukraine sent a missile barrage at targets near the bridge linking Crimea to Russia.
Ukraine is reportedly seeking to clear the way for a direct strike against the crucial Kerch Bridge, with the Russians fortifying the area.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The £3billion bridge links Crimea to the Russian mainland and has been hit by Ukraine before.
The bridge, a major engineering feat, was Putin’s flagship project and the dictator opened the crossing in 2018.
Why has the Ukrainian invasion of Russia been so successful?
A DARING Ukrainian military push into Russia's Kursk region has become the largest attack on the country since World War Two.
Kyiv's forces have seized scores of villages, taken hundreds of prisoners and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians.
After more than a week of fighting, Russian troops are still struggling to drive out the invaders.
Why has Russian military been caught so unprepared?
A long undefended border
Russia's regions of Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod share a 720-mile border with Ukraine - including a 152-mile section in the Kursk region.
And it only had symbolic protection before Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
It's been reinforced since then with checkpoints on key roads and field fortifications in places - but not enough to repel a Ukrainian assault.
The most capable Russian units are fighting in eastern Ukraine, leaving the border vulnerable to attack.
Element of surprise
Ukrainian troops participating in the incursion were reportedly only told about their mission a day before it began.
The secrecy contrasted with last year's counteroffensive - when Ukraine openly declared its goal of cutting the land corridor to annexed Crimea.
Ukraine ended up failing as troops trudged through Russian minefields and were pummelled by artillery and drones.
But in Kursk, Ukrainian troops didn't face any of these obstacles.
Battle-hardened units easily overwhelmed Russian border guards and small infantry units made up of inexperienced conscripts.
The Ukrainians drove deep into the region in several directions - facing little resistance and sowing chaos and panic.
Russia's slow response
The Russian military command initially relied on warplanes and choppers to try to stop the onslaught.
At least one Russian helicopter gunship was shot down and another was damaged.
Moscow began pulling in reinforcements, managing to slow Ukraine's advances - but failed to completely block troops
5
5
Topics