President Vladimir Putin told Russian media on Feb. 18 that Russian forces had crossed into Ukrainian territory from Kursk Oblast, a claim General Staff spokesperson Dmytro Lykhovyi has dismissed as part of a disinformation campaign.

Russian invasion forces further advanced near Dachne, Zelene Pole, and Burlatske in Donetsk Oblast. In the morning briefing on Feb. 20, the General Staff stated that Ukrainian military forces halted 32 assault actions by the aggressor in the Pokrovsk sector.

According to Sergei Rudsky, a senior Russian General Staff official, Ukrainian soldiers are in control of about 500 square kilometers (193 square miles) out of 1,268 square kilometers (490 square miles) initially seized by Kyiv.

Russian forces are actively targeting logistics routes moving from Ukraine into Russia’s Kursk Oblast, launching fire strikes on everything moving in that direction from Sumy Oblast. Source: Ukrainian military-analytical project DeepState on social media Details: DeepState reports that the most dangerous section is currently Pysarivka-Yunakivka,

Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has claimed the alleged "beginning of an offensive on Ukraine" from Russia’s Kursk region. He states that Russian forces are "advancing" along the entire frontline, according to Russian media and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).