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

<p class="ingestion featured-caption">A statue of Vladimir Lenin in the Russian town of Sudzha was damaged by fighting as a tattered Russian flag billows in the background.KIRILL CHUBOTIN / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into Russia's Kursk region, catching enemy forces off guard.</li><li>The shock invasion allowed Ukrainian forces to capture about 488 square miles of Russian territory.</li></ul><p>Ukrainian forces launched a bold offensive into Russian territory earlier this month, catching <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-kursk-russian-drinking-coffee-sitting-forest-attack-2024-8">Russian forces</a> off guard.</p><p>On August 6, Ukraine's military advanced into Russia's western Kursk region in a cross-border incursion that has put <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-record-of-flipping-script-russia-through-innovation-audacity-kursk-2024-8">Russian forces on the back foot</a> in an effort to force them to redeploy soldiers from the grinding battles in Ukraine's east.</p>