Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday afternoon that was rushing reserve troops and aviation units into the southwestern Kursk region as Ukrainian forces staged a surprise incursion, which left at least 3 civilians dead and more than a dozen others injured.
The Russian military said Ukrainian forces launched an attack with up to 300 soldiers, 11 tanks and more than 20 armored combat vehicles at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time.
“Troops defending the border, together with military units of the FSB border force, are repelling attacks and inflicting damage on the enemy,” the defense ministry said in a statement.
The Russian military said Ukrainian forces were focusing their attack on the villages of Nikolaevo-Darino and Oleshnya, which both lie directly on the border with northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Kursk region acting Governor Alexei Smirnov said three people were killed in Ukrainian attacks throughout the day — a woman in the attempted border incursion and two people whose vehicles were hit in separate drone attacks.
Earlier, Smirnov said Russian border guards and soldiers thwarted incursions into the Kursk region districts of Sudzha and Korenevo.
“The situation in the border area remains difficult, but our defenders are successfully working to destroy the enemy,” the acting governor wrote on Telegram.
The Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation accused Russia of “lying” about Tuesday’s fighting in the Kursk region.
“Russia does not control the border,” said Andriy Kovalenko, who heads the Ukrainian agency.
Armed combatants from Ukraine have carried out a number of incursions into Russia’s border regions since last year. These attacks have often involved paramilitary groups formed by Russian nationals who opposed the Kremlin.
AFP contributed reporting.
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