Russia claims to be fighting cross-border raids by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, though Kyiv has so far stayed silent on those reports.
Russia’s Defence Ministry claims an attack began Tuesday and continued into Wednesday evening, with Ukrainian forces pushing to the northwest of Sudzha, a border town that lies more than 500 kilometres from Moscow.
The acting governor of Kursk region, Alexey Smirnov, said he had introduced a state of emergency in the region, though it was unclear what measures that entailed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with military officials on Wednesday, said the events in Kursk amounted to a “large-scale provocation,” while his officials stated their forces were fighting off the attacks.
The Associated Press said the claims from Russia could not immediately be verified.
Previous incursions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly video address on Wednesday made no reference to the attack, while exhorting Kyiv’s soldiers to press on and weaken Russian forces.
Ukraine’s General Staff also made no acknowledgement in its daily battlefield update, but said Russia had stepped up the use of warplanes against Ukraine’s Sumy region across the border.
In Washington, John Kirby, the White House’s national security spokesman, declined to comment on the reports and said the Biden administration has reached out to the Ukrainians to better understand what happened.
From parts of downed planes and bullet-riddled helmets to uniform patches, a volunteer group in Kyiv is selling Russian items found on the battlefields to raise money for the war effort and buy drones for Ukraine.
Russian forces have swiftly repelled previous cross-border incursions, but not before they caused damage and embarrassed authorities.
Responsibility for previous incursions into Russia’s Belgorod and Bryansk regions has been claimed by two murky groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, which are made up of Russian citizens and have fought alongside Ukrainian forces.
Russia launched its all-out war with Ukraine in February 2022. Nearly 30 months later, the conflict appears to have no end in sight.