Ukraine says it has seized 386 square miles of Russian territory

Ukraine said Monday it was holding 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of Russian territory, a week after the surprise cross-border assault that left the Kremlin scrambling and saw Kyiv seize back the initiative in the war.

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi made the declaration in a video posted to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Telegram channel Monday.

“The troops are fulfilling their tasks. Fighting continues actually along the entire front line. The situation is under our control,” Syrskyi said.

NBC News was not able to confirm how much Russian territory Ukraine's forces hold.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to drive Ukrainian troops from his country’s territory, his first major public intervention in the crisis. Battles raged inside Russia for a seventh day following the incursion into the Kursk border region by Ukrainian forces, who appeared to have advanced by up to 20 miles.

Residents were also being evacuated from parts of the neighboring Belgorod region in the latest sign that the Kremlin had failed to repel the threat of an intensifying offensive.

Speaking at a special meeting dedicated to the situation, Putin ordered his Defense Ministry to “squeeze out, to knock out the enemy from our territories” before then solidifying Russia's border defenses.

Ukraine's stunning incursion has embarrassed the Kremlin and boosted morale but left many observers scratching their heads about what Kyiv might be hoping to achieve. Putin weighed in Monday, saying the assault aimed to improve Ukraine's hand in future peace talks, ease the pressure on its embattled forces fighting on the front lines and fuel discord inside Russia.

“It appears the enemy is trying to improve its negotiation positions,” he said. Russia has been calling for peace talks in recent months but with the nonstarter condition that Kyiv cede vast territories Moscow annexed in 2022.

The assault is also aimed, he said, at stopping the advance of Russian forces in the east and south of Ukraine. “What are the results?” he said, sounding irate.

“All along the contact line, our forces are advancing,” he said, claiming the pace of Russian gains had accelerated in the past week.

Ukraine had also failed to sow discord and destroy the “unity” of the Russian people, he added, saying more people have signed up to serve in the army in recent days.

“The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response,” he concluded.

Zelenskyy confirmed the incursion for the first time Saturday after Kyiv had stayed largely mute about it. “Ukraine is proving that it really knows how to restore justice and guarantees exactly the kind of pressure that is needed — pressure on the aggressor,” Zelenskyy said.

The Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged Sunday its forces were still engaged in intense fighting with Ukrainian troops in Kursk. It said they were engaging Ukrainians near the villages of Tolpino, Obshchy Kolodez and Zhuravli, which are 13 to 17 miles from the closest stretch of the Ukrainian border.