Ukraine has made incursions into Russian territory, boosting morale and changing the dynamic of the two-year war that began after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion.

Ukraine launched the surprise incursion into the Kursk and Belgorod regions of Russia with armour and infantry on 6 August, involving thousands of troops amounting to 14 brigades. While initial details of the attack were murky, Kyiv and Moscow have now acknowledged the operation into the Russian border regions, while independent analysts have verified claims about the scale of the advance by geolocating images posted by Ukrainian troops.

The Guardian’s defence and security editor, Dan Sabbagh, explains how the incursion unfolded and what it means for the war raging in Europe