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A RUSSIAN military column has been completely destroyed by Putin's own attack helicopter in another humiliating blunder in Kursk.
Shocking pictures appear to show the self-propelled artillery reduced to ashes and severely damaged as Vlad's armed forces fail to halt Ukraine's brave advance.
Propagandists initially boasted a strike on a Ukrainian armoured column.
But then it was revealed the Ka-52M had hit its own side in a friendly fire, according to Telegram channels.
The alleged friendly fire incident is believed to have destroyed one 2S19M2 Msta-S self-propelled gun and damaged another.
The incident occurred in the area of the village of Krivitskiye Budy in the Belovsky district of the Kursk region.
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The extent of any personnel losses was not revealed.
Volya independent Telegram channel - which monitors both sides in the war - said a total of four armed vehicles were hit.
But it claimed there are now a spate of such friendly fire incidents amid Russian confusion over which areas are controlled by Ukraine in a fast-moving military campaign.
“A Russian helicopter destroyed a Russian column of four armoured vehicles, which it mistook for Ukrainian,” the channel said.
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“Russian military personnel currently in the Kursk region say that two more such incidents occurred near the villages of Anastasyevka and Kromskiye Byki, as well as south of Bolshoye Soldatskoye and near Snagost.”
“Ukrainian sources report that despite the lack of a front line, it is still possible to maintain control over the troops and coordination between them.
“But losses are gradually increasing due to strikes by Russian aircraft and helicopters, ambushes and artillery shelling.”
Russia's clumsy self-attack is the latest blunder for Putin's scrambling men, as Ukraine's troops have now spent six days inside the Russian homeland replacing flags, taking POWs, and capturing territory.
They've penetrated 30km deep, Russia's defence ministry said, leaving Putin "scared and seething" over the ongoing attacks.
It comes as Ukrainian drones told Russian soldiers to put their guns down and surrender as Zelensky's troops storm Kursk.
The UAVs were said to be equipped with loudspeakers instructing Putin's men to give up and save their lives.
Footage shared on X shows a Ukrainian soldier launching the drone into the sky.
it then broadcasts the following message: "Russian soldier, surrender. Your command is hiding the truth about your losses.
"Save your life. We guarantee good treatment."
The video, which was not captured in Kursk, then shows a Russian soldier coming out of a destroyed building, arms up, before placing his gun on the ground.
Holding his Russian identity, the man tells the camera: "I heard a Ukrainian 'bird' offering to surrender.
"They guaranteed life and good treatment."
The soldier continued: "I made the right decision and surrendered. I'm against war. I didn't want to end up here.
"Our commanders act with us like butchers, send us to slaughter."
"I don't want this war. I want to live in a peaceful country. That's why I surrendered."
Meanwhile, Russian civilians in Belgorod were urged to take shelter in their basements after Ukraine's triumphant invasion.
Some 121,000 people have fled Kursk as Vladimir Putin's crony governor admitted Kyiv forces now control over 28 towns in the borderland region.
As Ukraine pushes its impressive invasion further into a second region, Belgorod, citizens there are also being told to evacuate.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote in a Telegram message on Monday: "The entire territory of the Belgorod region is a MISSILE DANGER.
"Go down to the basement. Stay there until you receive the signal 'all clear missile danger.'"
Approximately 11,000 residents left their homes in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district in Belgorod, according to Russian outlet TASS.
Why has Ukraine invaded Kursk?
by Ellie Doughty, Foreign News Reporter
Security has been tightened in Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod to try and fend off Kyiv's impressive penetration.
Kursk governor Alexei Smirnov was forced to tell the Russian tyrant this afternoon how Ukraine now controls 28 villages in the region.
A Ukrainian military analyst Telegram channel later claimed 44 were taken.
He said the invasion is now 7.5 miles deep along a 25 mile frontline in Kursk.
Smirnov also said the number of civilians killed sits at 12 with 121 injured.
He claimed Ukrainian forces were using chemical weapon shells in their incursion - but failed to give any evidence to support it.
At a crunch meeting with top brass security and defence officials Putin insisted the Kursk invasion is a failed attempt by Kyiv to destabilise Russia.
But despite his claims, as many as 10,000 Ukrainian troops supported by tanks and aircraft have now successfully pushed almost 20 miles into Russia.
Russian forces have rushed to reserve troops, tanks, aviation, artillery and drones for the borderlands in a bid to quash Ukraine.
But despite their desperate efforts, they conceded on Sunday that Ukraine was able to reach as far as 18 miles in some areas with the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez.
There are reportedly just 500 residents left, according to local administrator Andrey Miskov, and footage seemed to show them being led by military into evacuation buses.
Footage showed enormous coaches arranged in a row, prepared to transport them to makeshift quarters.
According to Russian officials, the reason for their evacuation was the Ukrainian army's "active" presence in the area.
A tank offensive was also initiated by Ukrainian forces on Monday morning against the Kolotilovka neighbourhood of Belgorod, which is located roughly 24 miles south of Sudzha in Kursk.
A likely humiliated Vladimir Putin said the same day his forces must "dislodge" Ukraine's forces from the border regions.
Russia has also been scrambling to build trenches around Kursk nuclear plant as it fears Ukraine could capture its reactors.
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Satellite photos capture new lines in the earth near the atomic facility, which is 100km from the border with Ukraine.
Satellite images show the trenches to the south of Kurchatov, a town near where the power plant is located.