See inside the NYC-sized area of Russia that Ukraine seized in its lightning offensive

• Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into Russia’s Kursk region, catching enemy forces off guard.
• The shock invasion allowed Ukrainian forces to capture about 488 square miles of Russian territory.
• Despite the wreckage left, Ukraine is making a point of helping civilians in occupied territories.

Ukrainian forces launched a bold offensive into Russian territory earlier this month, catching Russian forces off guard.

On August 6, Ukraine’s military advanced into Russia’s western Kursk region in a cross-border incursion that has put Russian forces on the back foot in an effort to force them to redeploy soldiers from the grinding battles in Ukraine’s east.