Ukraine pierces Russian border in one of largest incursions of war

Moscow: Russia said it was fighting intense battles against Ukrainian forces that had penetrated its southern border near a major natural gas transmission hub, in one of the largest incursions into Russian territory since the war began.

The acting governor of Kursk region, Alexey Smirnov, said he had introduced a state of emergency in the border region. Regional officials said that meant restricting access to specific areas.

This photo released by the acting Governor of Kursk region shows a damaged house after shelling by the Ukrainian side in the city of Sudzha, Kursk region that borders Ukraine. Credit: AP

Russia’s health ministry said 31 civilians, including six children, had been wounded. No information on military casualties was available.

Russia’s National Guard said it had beefed up security around the nearby Kursk nuclear power station and its four reactors.

Russia has advanced this year after the failure of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive to achieve any major gains, and has taken 420 square kilometres of territory from Ukrainian forces since June 14, Russian officials say.

Ukraine struck back on Tuesday and battles continued through the night into Wednesday as Ukrainian forces pushed to the northwest of the border town of Sudzha, 530 kilometres southwest of Moscow, Russia’s defence ministry said.

A serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade runs past a damaged car at the frontline town of Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine.Credit: AP

“The Kyiv regime has launched another major provocation,” President Vladimir Putin told members of the Russian government, referring to the attack in Kursk region.

The chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, told Putin that Russian forces had halted a thrust by up to 1000 Ukrainian soldiers - more than three times the figure that Russia’s defence ministry had stated on Tuesday - and would push them back to the border.

“The enemy’s advance deep into territory in the Kursk direction was stopped by the actions of the units covering the state border together with border guards and reinforcement units, with airstrikes, missile and artillery fire,” Gerasimov said in televised comments.

The Ukrainian military appears to have adopted a strategy of strict silence.

A serviceman of the 24th Mechanised Brigade fires an Easel Antitank Grenade Launcher SPG9 towards Russian position at Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine.Credit: AP

President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly video address made no reference to the attack, while exhorting Kyiv’s soldiers to press on and weaken Russian forces.

“It’s important to keep on destroying the enemy as effectively and steadfastly as our soldiers can to help the defence of our country ...,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine’s General Staff also made no acknowledgment 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, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States was seeking an understanding from Ukraine of the incursion, and said it had had no advance knowledge of it.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said U.S. rules on Ukrainian use of U.S. weapons - authorised in areas over the Russian border - remained in effect, but that Ukraine’s actions were “not a violation of our policy.”

The Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said on Telegram that U.S. statements on the Ukrainian action were “outrageous...not a word criticising their clients, not a regret about the victims of the tragedy”.

Russian military bloggers depicted the situation in Kursk region as more serious than the official accounts, with some suggesting that Ukraine had opened a new front. Russia has sent reserves to help shore up its defences.

Rybar, a Telegram channel run by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a retired Russian Defence Ministry press officer, said Ukrainian troops had seized three settlements in the region and continued to fight their way deeper in. It also said that Ukrainian forces captured the Sudzha gas transit station, about 8 kilometres from the border. Russian officials have not confirmed the gains.

Another pro-Kremlin military blog, Two Majors, claimed that Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 15 kilometres into the region.

Neither claim could be independently verified.

The Kursk region’s border with Ukraine is 245 kilometres long, making it possible for saboteur groups to launch swift incursions and capture some ground before Russia deploys reinforcements.

Some bloggers suggested that Ukraine might be planning an advance on the Kursk nuclear plant.

Gerasimov said Russia had inflicted heavy losses on the Ukrainian attackers in terms of men and equipment, giving figures that Reuters was unable to independently verify.

Putin said Ukrainian forces were firing “indiscriminately” at a range of civilian targets in the region.

Reuters, AP

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