Ukraine justifies Kursk attack in first acknowledgment of incursion into Russia

Zelenskiy aide says root cause of any escalation', including into Kursk, is Moscow's unequivocal aggression'

Ukraine has publicly justified its attack into Russian territory for the first time, amid reports that its forces are advancing towards a village 13 miles (20km) inside the Kursk region.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior aide to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the root cause of any escalation", including into Kursk, was unequivocal aggression" on the part of Russia in believing it could invade Ukraine with impunity.