Fighting in the Russian Kursk border region continues for a second consecutive day following an attack by Ukrainian forces. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that their troops have prevented pro-Kyiv forces from making significant incursions into the country and have repelled aerial assaults overnight. Ukraine has not yet confirmed the attack on the southwestern Russian region that borders Ukraine.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, airstrikes, missile forces, and artillery actions have covered the state border, thereby preventing the enemy from advancing into Russian territory. The ministry reports that there have been fatalities on the Ukrainian side, with 50 Ukrainian armored vehicles destroyed, including seven tanks and eight armored personnel carriers. Al Jazeera reporter Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, notes that there are reports indicating that Ukrainian forces have captured several settlements in the Kursk region.
Russian officials previously claimed to have shot down several missiles and drones aimed at Kursk. Acting regional governor Alexei Smirnov stated on Telegram that two Ukrainian missiles were intercepted by air defense systems. The Ministry of Defense reported that four Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight.
In response to the Ukrainian raid, which involved around 300 soldiers, 11 tanks, and more than 20 armored vehicles, reserve troops and air force units were sent to the border. Pro-Kyiv forces, including units of Russians fighting on Ukraine’s side such as the Russian Volunteer Corps (Russiske Volunteer Corps) and the Freedom of Russia Legion (Freedom of Russia Legion), have previously conducted brief incursions into Russia since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
On Wednesday, foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova termed Ukraine’s recent assault on Kursk as “another act of terror” against civilians. Five people lost their lives on Tuesday, and approximately 28 were injured, according to Smirnov and local health authorities. The Russian Minister of Health stated on Wednesday that six children were among the injured from the attacks. A senior Orthodox priest reported that Ukrainian shelling had set fire to a cathedral and other buildings at a large monastery outside the border town of Sudzha, but no injuries were reported.
Sudhza is the last operational transfer point for Russian gas exports to Europe via Ukraine, and just 60 kilometers northeast of the town lies Russia’s Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (Kursk atomkraftværk).
Ukrainian military authorities in the Sumy region, which borders Kursk, have reported that their forces destroyed a Russian ballistic missile, two drones, and a helicopter. Ukrainian drones have also targeted residential areas in the Russian border regions of Voronezh and Belgorod, where damages have been reported but no casualties.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported on Tuesday about Russian attacks on border towns but did not mention any Ukrainian offensive operations inside Russia. Both Kyiv and Moscow claim that their assaults do not target civilians. Smirnov urged residents of Kursk on social media to help replenish blood banks. “In the last 24 hours, our region has heroically resisted attacks from Ukrainian fighters,” he wrote.
Russian military bloggers reported intense fighting, with some suggesting that Ukraine has opened a new front. “The fighting will be fierce,” said Yuri Podolyaka, an influential pro-Russian military blogger of Ukrainian descent. “It will certainly not end quickly.” Even if the enemy fails to break through, there will still be extensive artillery and drone attacks, he added.