The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Tuesday that around 300 Ukrainian troops had crossed the border to sabotage Russia’s Kursk region, engaging in fighting with Russian forces near the border towns of Nikolaevo-Dalino and Oleshnya.
The defence ministry said Russian “reserve forces” were “heading towards Kursk” to join the fighting. in progress As of Wednesday afternoon.
of Kyiv Independent on tuesday Quote Russian and Ukrainian intelligence officials have sharply accused each other of lying about what was happening at Kursk.
On the same day, Alexei Smirnov, governor of Russia’s Kursk region, claimed that Russian border guards had “thwarted a border crossing” in the Sudjansky and Korenevsky districts.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the counter-disinformation department at the National Security and Defense Council, said Russia “does not control its borders.”
“Russian military commanders are lying about being in control of the situation in Kursk Oblast,” he wrote in a Telegram post.
Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov, Wednesday Declared An emergency situation to “eliminate the consequences of hostile forces invading the area.”
Russian military chief of staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov reportedly told President Vladimir Putin via video uplink on Wednesday that up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers had “launched the offensive” in Kursk. The Ukrainian forces were reportedly equipped with dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Putin is angry Condemned The Russian government called the operation a “serious provocation” by Ukraine and accused Ukrainian forces of “indiscriminate firing” at civilians. Russian authorities have alleged that Ukrainian artillery fire injured 24 civilians, including six children.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Wednesday that further Ukrainian advances had been thwarted, but it could take some time before the “operation to destroy Ukrainian military units” is completed.
Ukraine has hit back, claiming to have seized the Suzha natural gas field in Kursk, a key strategic target as it is Russia’s only means of supplying natural gas to European Union customers.
Unofficial online rumors from the region suggest that Ukrainian forces are faring much better than the Russian Defense Ministry has claimed, and independent media have reported heavy fighting and Russian airstrikes intensifying in the region.
Military analyst Pasi Paloinen Said of The New York Times He said Wednesday that the Ukrainian invasion was puzzling because the small Ukrainian military could not be expected to hold out indefinitely against Russian reserve forces or pose enough of a threat to divert significant resources from Russian operations in Ukraine.
“Operationally and strategically, this attack makes absolutely no sense and seems like a massive waste of personnel and resources that are badly needed elsewhere,” Paloinen said.
Ukraine Managed There were several “counter-invasions” during the war, including an attack on Kursk, but these were generally short skirmishes by Russian forces. Opposed Not to Ukrainian combat troops, but to Putin’s government. The U.S. government Keep your distance itself From the use of such “paramilitary organizations” by Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in January Signed The decree asserts sovereignty over parts of Russia “historically inhabited by Ukrainians,” effectively reversing Putin’s position after he invaded Ukraine to claim areas with a large Russian population. Kursk was one of the areas mentioned in Zelensky’s decree.
