Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.N. was turning a blind eye to excesses committed by Ukrainian forces in their incursion into Russia's Kursk region, launched last month.

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.

Ukraine abides by international humanitarian law and does not target civilians during its current incursion into Russia's western Kursk region, Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday. Earlier on Monday,