21.Citing sources close to the government, the outlet says three narrative lines have been drawn up and being pushed out – an acknowledgment that Ukraine did indeed cross the border into Kursk Oblast, that they will inevitably be defeated, but that this will take time and the Russian public needs to be patient.Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Kyiv had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Russia's Kursk Oblast as the unprecedented incursion enters its third week.According to Syrskyi, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements to date.A map of claimed Ukrainian advance in Russia's Kursk Oblast as of Aug. 20, 2024. Source: Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. (Nizar al-Rifai/The Kyiv Independent)Two sources close to the Russian presidential administration said that inside the Kremlin, the initial shock at the incursion has now passed, and people have since "got used to it.