Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had crossed the border into the Kursk region of western Russia and carried out an attack, describing the operation as a large-scale “provocation.”
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Putin calls cross-border attack in Kursk region a ‘provocation’
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Putin’s statement followed a Russian Defense Ministry announcement late Tuesday night that up to “300 Ukrainian militants” launched a cross-border attack on Tuesday morning and had entered Russian territory along with “11 tanks and more than 200 armored vehicles.”
Kursk borders Ukraine’s Sumy region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Russian forces had repelled the attack.
Kyiv so far has not acknowledged the attack, and Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and intelligence agencies declined to comment.
Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, anti-Kremlin Russian militias backed by Ukraine have carried out several cross-border attacks, while Kyiv has launched repeated, often deadly, airstrikes on Russian border cities, including Belgorod.
It was not clear, however, if the attack on Kursk was carried out by an anti-Kremlin militia, by regular Ukrainian forces or some other fighting formation.
Alexei Smirnov, Kursk’s acting governor, said Wednesday that the region had been “heroically resisting the attacks for 24 hours.”
A regional health official, Andrei Loktionov, told Russian media that at least 28 people were wounded, mainly from burns and shrapnel. Maria Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner on children’s rights, said six children were among the victims.
Smirnov said emergency services had been put on high alert and called on citizens to help donate blood at local hospitals and clinics. Putin said Wednesday that he had instructed aid agencies to provide the “necessary assistance” to residents in the region.
Reports by Russian military bloggers and images circulating on social media contradicted Russian Defense Ministry statements seeking to minimize the attacks, and suggested the raid was more substantive than past cross-border incursions.
Some analysts suggested that Ukrainian forces may have advanced six miles into Russia from the front line. Photos from the area showed destroyed buildings, as well as equipment losses.
Rybar, a popular Russian military blogger with links to the Russian Defense Ministry, reported on Tuesday evening the situation in the Kursk region remained tense, with battles still underway in border districts.
“Judging by the latest footage, Ukrainian formations have managed to advance,” Rybar wrote, claiming that Ukrainian forces had occupied the villages of Nikolayevo-Daryino, Daryino and Sverdlikovo. In addition, he said, battles were continuing in Goncharovka and Oleshnya.
Rybar reported that a total of up to 400 Ukrainian troops entered the region, with up to 2,000 troops concentrated along the border. Another Russian military Telegram channel, Archangel Spetsnaz Z, reported that Ukraine had sent two battalions across the border that were pushing toward the town of Sudzha. The Washington Post could not independently verify those reports.