A top Russian general has said in a rare admission that the Kremlin’s troops are running out of “forces” and “resources.”

Top Russian General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces unit fighting in Russia, also confirmed there had been deaths in Ukraine’s Kursk incursion.

Mr Alaudinov said the incursion had been made possible because Moscow “had neither forces, nor means, nor resources” to stop them.

He said on the Telegram messaging app: “There is no irreversible process, nothing supernatural happened... Yes, the guys died, that’s true. Several populated areas, the enemy entered there,” he said.

Ukraine could replace soldiers with robot dogs on its front lines for risky missions like spying on Russian trenches or detecting mines.

Not just used for treacherous missions, the hounds can also carry just over a stone of ammunition or medicines to hot spots on the battlefield.

At a demonstration in an undisclosed part of Ukraine, the metallic dog known as model “BAD One” stood up, crouched, ran and jumped according to commands transmitted by its operator, Agence France Press has reported.

“We have surveillance soldiers who get sent on reconnaissance missions (who) are most of the time very highly trained people, very experienced people (and) always exposed to risks,” said the operator who went by the name Yuri as he demonstrated to AFP journalists.

He continued: “I can’t say how many we deployed. But it will have a significant impact on the operations and increase the safety of soldiers.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has praised the Ukrainian army for its ability “to surprise” and achieve results.

While he made no direct reference to the cross-border assault in Russia’s Kursk region, this is likely what he is referencing.

He said at an event to unveil a new digital app to cut paperwork for the military: “Everyone can see that the Ukrainian army knows how to surprise. And knows how to achieve results.

“This is demonstrated by the battlefield, where our soldiers not only withstood the overwhelming force of the occupiers, but also are destroying it in the way necessary to protect Ukraine – our state and independence.”

In an update to our earlier post, Ukraine has just missed out on a medal in the canoe sprint final at the Paris Olympics.

Despite not winning, they have done exceptionally well to beat those who came ahead of them in the semi-final -Canada and Denmark.

Germany pipped Australia across the finish line, with just 0.04 seconds between them. Spain picked up the bronze medal and Ukraine came in fourth just a second behind.

The Ukrainian team consists of Oleh Kukharyk, Dmytro Danylenko, Ihor Trunov and Ivan Semykin.

A young man and his six-year-old brother were killed this afternoon when a Russian-guided bomb hit a school playground in the northern Sumy region bordering Russia’s Kursk region, a Ukrainian official said.

The pair were killed in Mohrytsia village, Volodymyr Artiukh, head of the Sumy region’s military administration told national TV.

“Sumy region has never known such a large number per day,” he added, referring to 56 guided bombs dropped by Russia in the past 24 hours.

The Kremlin has accused the Ukrainian military of launching an armoured assault in the Kursk region, in one of the largest such incursions of the 29 months of the full-scale war.

Russian prosecutors have requested a 15-year sentence in the treason trial of Ksenia Khavana, a Russian-American woman who has pleaded guilty to charges related to supporting Ukraine's military.

Khavana, also known by her maiden name Karelina, was arrested in February in the west-central city of Yekaterinburg and accused of collecting funds for Ukraine's armed forces.

Her trial, which has been held behind closed doors, concluded with her guilty plea on Wednesday.

According to reports, her lawyer, Mikhail Mushalov, stated that the sentencing is expected next week.

Khavana acquired US citizenship after marrying an American and moving to Los Angeles but had returned to Russia to visit her family at the time of her arrest.

Russia’s Federal Security Service claims she “proactively collected money in the interests of one of the Ukrainian organizations, which was subsequently used to purchase tactical medical supplies, equipment, weapons, and ammunition for the Ukrainian armed forces.”

But rights group The First Department said the charges come from a $51 (£40) donation to an American charity that helps Ukraine.

Ukraine are inching closer to a medal today after securing fifth place in the semi-finals of the men’s kayak four 500m.

The K4 500m final, which involves four paddlers in a single kayak, is commencing this afternoon and will see Ukraine try to beat Canada and Denmark for the bronze medal.

The Ukrainian team is made up of Oleh Kukharyk at the bow, Dmytro Danylenko at second, Ihor Trunov and Ivan Semykin at the back.

They are the first Ukrainian men’s team to win a K-4 500m world title and get an Olympic quota.

Not only are they sporting heroes but they are also fundraising money for rehabilitation and prosthetics for war victims, some of which include their friends and fellow athletes.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky met today with a bipartisan delegation of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress to discuss ways to achieve a just peace in Ukraine as soon as possible.

The president announced his visit on X, formerly Twitter, saying he underlined Ukraine’s utmost efforts “to achieve a just peace as soon as possible”.

He also expressed gratitude for support to “everyone in America who values freedom and independence as much as we do in Ukraine”.

Two people have been killed by Russian shelling today in the town of Kostiantynivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk.

The strike hit a residential district of the town in the morning, Vadym Filashkin, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, reported on his Telegram account.

At least four people were killed in Russian shelling in the same region on Wednesday.

Ukrainian-controlled areas of the Donetsk region frequently face Russian shelling and airstrikes. A significant part of the region is under Russian control, with Moscow claiming it, along with four other Ukrainian regions, as its territory.

Donetsk continues to be a major flashpoint, with Russian forces focusing on targets near the strategically important eastern logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine is “not violating policy” by using US-supplied weapons in Kursk despite the operation being on Russian territory, the US state department has said.

Matthew Miller, the state department spokesperson, confirmed at a briefing that the US had not received warnings about possible operations on Russian territory and emphasised that Ukraine is making these decisions alone.

But he also said the US policy about weapons restrictions and using American weapons to strike inside Russian territory remains unchanged.

He said in response to a question from a reporter: “I will answer this way. Nothing in our policy has changed, and with the actions they [Ukrainians] are taking today, they’re not violating our policy.”

In May, President Joe Biden gave Ukraine the green light to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Mr Miller’s remarks may seem surprising as Mr Biden’s edict in May did not change policy directing Ukraine not to use American-provided long-range missiles and other munitions to strike offensively inside Russia.