Lavrov, in an interview with Russia's TASS news agency on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York that was published early on Wednesday, said Ukrainian "terrorist groups" were using Western weapons to commit indiscriminate acts in Kursk.

Regardless of whether the Russian army eventually succeeds in driving the Ukrainians back across the border, the meticulously planned and executed Kursk offensive has dramatically changed how the war is being perceived in both the Western world and in Russia.

Moscow’s troops have retaken a few villages in a border area that Kyiv’s forces invaded last month and are also advancing steadily in eastern Ukraine.