Nearly a week into a stunning Ukrainian incursion into western Russia, Kyiv’s forces have advanced 7？ miles into the country, controlling more than two dozen villages.

       “As of today, the enemy is in control of 28 communities, having advanced 12 kilometers into the Kursk region on a 40-kilometer-wide front,” Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, told Russian officials via video conference. “For us, the problem is that there is no clear front line, no understanding of where the [Ukrainian] combat units are. It is very important to know where the enemy is and at what time.”