Ukrainian soldiers pull down Russia flag after taking over parts of Kursk region

Ukraine’s top military commander says his forces are now in control of nearly 400 square miles in the Kursk border region, while an embarrassed Vladimir Putin vowed to “kick the enemy out.” Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi announced the progress in Kursk Monday in a video posted on social media by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — the first time Kyiv has commented on the days-long fighting on Russian soil. “The troops are fulfilling their tasks,” Syrskyi said. “Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control.” Zelenskyy praised Syrskyi and his troops “for their steadfastness and decisive actions” in Kursk, where the Ukrainian army has reportedly seized dozens of Russian villages in the surprise cross-border incursion that has left Putin scrambling to respond. Aleksey Smirnov, the acting chief of the Kursk region, told the Kremlin that at least 28 settlements have been captured by Ukraine, with their forces now operating as deep as 7.5 miles