The surprise invasion of Kursk through Ukraine caught the Russian army by surprise. Kiev troops advanced 35 km into Russia, with little resistance from Russian troops defending the western border region.

Discipline appears to be breaking down within the Russian military ranks, as soldiers are repeatedly caught looting their own villages after being deployed to defend them. It is thought that many of the Russian troops sent to Kursk were young conscripts with no combat experience.

Security camera videos shared on social media this week showed Russian soldiers looting warehouses, pharmacies, phone shops and clothing stores. Much of the footage came from Glushkovo, a town still under Russian military control.

In a video, a Telegram user films a street in Glushkovo and shows that all the shops on the street have been looted and left in disarray.

One CCTV camera also showed soldiers in Glushkovo stealing from a Wildberry warehouse – Russia’s answer to Amazon. The camera footage is dated August 23.

Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov evacuated Glushkovo on August 14, days after Ukraine invaded the region, while the Russian army intervened to defend it.

Tendar, a social media account that monitors the war between Ukraine and Russia, tweeted a video of the looting, adding: “To paraphrase: this is a Russian city, in a Russian province, INSIDE Russia, and the Russian army is looting it.

“More shops in Glushkovo have been looted by the Russian army. They are plundering the city.”

Ukraine is believed to be approaching Glushkovo this weekend, with troops stationed about 12 kilometres from the village.

Russia is struggling to regain control over territory captured by Ukraine.

Meanwhile, more than 130,000 Russians have been evacuated from the western Kursk region due to the ongoing incursion.

The Ukrainian invasion has taken control of 1,293 square kilometers (500 square miles) and 93 settlements. It is the largest foreign attack on Russian territory since World War II.)

Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky today called the Ukrainian offensive in the Russian region of Kursk “justice” and a “boomerang for evil”.

In a speech marking the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union, Zelensky vowed that “we can win united.”