Ukraine's major attack 'shows it can beat Putin'

RUSSIA has told more than 70,000 residents to leave their homes after an attack from Ukraine.

- Marco Giannangeli

The incursion shows Kyiv is still capable of bringing Moscow to heel after more than two years of war, says a former Nato chief.

Since the operation five days ago Russia has declared a state of emergency and FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov has ordered the imposition of counter-terror laws on Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions. The emergency powers will give authorities the ability to restrict movement of people and vehicles, tap phones and impose temporary evacuations.

Some 76,000 people have already been asked to leave part of western Kursk.

Such laws have been used before, most recently in June last year to face down a mutiny by thousands of Wagner mercenaries.

In the meantime, Russia is said to have struggled to muster additional tanks and artillery to support its beleaguered forces.