In a surprise attack, Ukraine sends a large force into western Russia

In a brazen attack that caught Russia off-guard, Ukraine’s military has sent a large ground force across its border and into western Russia.

The Ukrainian soldiers crossed the country’s northeastern border Tuesday and now appear to be several miles inside Russia’s Kursk region, where they are operating in several villages.

Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s general staff, said in a Kremlin briefing Wednesday that some 1,000 Ukrainian troops were taking part, backed by dozens of armored vehicles. Russia has sent reinforcements in an attempt to drive the Ukrainians back across the border.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin listened to the assessment with a look that appeared to be a mixture of impatience and disgust. He called the Ukrainian incursion a “large-scale provocation.”

Read more: NPR