Ukrainian forces are continuing to advance into Russian territory after their surprise incursion into the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia on 6 August, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said. Footage filmed by a Ukrainian TV crew showed the moment forces pulled down a Russian flag from a building in the town of Sudzha, in the Kursk region. While Russian officials claim the situation is under control, and Russia has been using missiles, drones and airstrikes to try to claw back territory, Ukrainian forces are still in control of numerous settlements. Nearly 200,000 civilians are thought to have fled their homes or been evacuated. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, called it a “major provocation” in a televised meeting with Russia’s defence council. “It’s the first time that Russia has been invaded since the second world war”, says the Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh. Find out more about what’s happening – and whether Ukraine’s incursion into Russia is a gamble that could pay off – by heading to the link in bio