A "seething" Vladimir Putin has been left feeling "nervous" in the wake of Ukraine's surprise attack on Russian soil, Kremlin officials have claimed.
The fuming Russian premier, 71, is understood to be embroiled in a number of rows with members of his own administration - with one general having accused him of ignoring advance intelligence warnings about the incursion into Kursk.
With the Ukraine-bordering region having been plunged into a state of emergency following late-night talks between Kremlin bigwigs, local officials and Putin himself, the president has been left reeling.
In the aftermath of the incursion, four Russian officials have come forward to reveal the mood inside Putin's camp.
Kremlin officials claimed the Kursk incursion was a "slap in the face" for Putin
Reuters
Speaking to Russian outlet Politika.Kozlov, one official involved in preparing Kremlin events involving the premier said the 71-year-old was "in a poor mood... He probably hasn't been seen like this since our [Russian army] was forced to retreat from Kherson in the autumn of 2022."
While several officials personally familiar with Putin said his facial expressions and body language in public appearances the day after the attack indicated he was "dissatisfied" and "annoyed".
One government insider said Zelensky's incursion - and Russia's inability to turf out its neighbours from its own soil - has "made Putin nervous".
They said: "This is a slap in the face for the president. We have been unable to push the enemy back for [three days].
READ MORE AS UKRAINE FIGHTS BACK:
Ukrainian personnel grinned in Sumy in Ukraine as their fellow troops battled Putin's men in Kursk
Reuters
Zelensky's troops skirted the border zones in Ukraine's east
Reuters
"A danger to the population has been created in Russia's regions. European gas has gone up in price. This is not how a country confident of its victory behaves.
"Our border guards are seen encircled and fighting. Conscripts have been captured... What has happened is very unpleasant, reputation-wise."
The insider claimed that Ukraine's mission would only be a success in the short term - but with American F16 fighter jets having finally made their way into Ukrainian hands, Volodymyr Zelensky will be feeling bullish.
The jets had been on Ukraine's wartime wish list for a long time because of their destructive power and global availability - and come equipped with a 20mm cannon and can carry bombs, rockets and missiles into battle.
Zelensky's men have started flying American F16s
Reuters
The Ukrainian leader looked on as the US-made jets soared above him
Reuters
And Zelensky will doubtless remain buoyed by the news that Russian troops were still fighting his men in Kursk on Saturday as deep as 12 miles into the region.
Despite Russia's top general, Valery Gerasimov, claiming that the Ukrainian incursion had been halted, his men have thus far failed to push their opposition back over the border.
Russian military bloggers said on Saturday the situation had stabilised after Russia concentrated its forces in Kursk to halt the surprise advance, though they added that Ukraine was swiftly building up more of its own men.
Russian Major-General Apti Alaudinov - who's stationed in Kursk - lashed out at his own officers, accusing senior officials of incompetence and blindness to the impending incursion in a scathing tirade.
He said: "It turned out that some of the leaders of the Ministry of Defence, as I understand it, were so deceitful - and it turned out that they deceived themselves."