Russian troops begin fightback as Kyiv attempts second incursion

Ukrainian forces unleash a fresh attack on Russia’s border in the Belgorod region on Tuesday.

People hit the road from the Ukrainian town of Myrnohrad. Picture: AFP

The forces of President Vladimir Putin’s are intensifying their fightback after Ukraine’s cross-border assault into Russia, with fierce combat on the ground and an aerial attack that has knocked out power and water across the country.

Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksander Syrski, said the incursion into the Kursk region that began three weeks ago was drawing Russian troops from elsewhere, diluting their strength in some areas but stiffening resistance against Ukrainian forces who have crossed the border.

“They attempt to create a ring of defence around our ­offensive group of troops and plan counter-­offensive actions,” General Syrski said.

The operation had netted 595 Russian prisoners of war, mostly conscripts, 115 of whom were swapped on Saturday for some of Ukraine’s most experienced fighters. He said Moscow was building up its forces on the Pokrovsk front in Donbas, a strategic priority for the Kremlin, where its troops have been advancing fast.

Ukrainian forces began a fresh attack on Russia’s border in the Belgorod region on Tuesday, clashing with Russian troops at the Nekhoteyevka checkpoint. Belgorod declared a state of emergency this month after Ukrainian forces first attempted to break through the border there after entering Kursk.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, Belgorod’s regional governor, wrote on Telegram that “the situation on the border remains difficult but under control”. Later he reported that Ukrainian forces had begun cross-border shelling and drone attacks on three Russian villages.

Belgorod has proved far better defended than Kursk and Ukraine’s troops have been repelled. General Syrski insisted Ukrainian forces were still advancing in some directions in Kursk and controlled more than 800sq km and more than 100 Russian settlements. Wounded soldiers evacuated from Kursk, however, spoke of a difficult battle and losses as Russia implements a fightback. Prophet and Zluka, two of an 11-man grenade unit, were wounded in a Russian artillery attack on their position in a village northwest of Sudzha.

Only days earlier, they had accepted the surrender of an entire Russian tank unit in another village, the morning after intercepting radio traffic in which they were debating whether to give themselves up. “They were drunk and they started fighting over what to do,” Zluka, 35, told The Times. “And then they began shooting at each other.”

On Monday, it was them under fire, scrambling to escape Russian shelling on the house where they were sheltering only to be confronted with a swarm of attack drones above.

“We radioed for help,” Prophet, 47, said. “It took 40 minutes for anyone to reach us. We had to crawl and stumble to an evacuation point. If they had sent the vehicles to us, they would have been destroyed.” He added: “I was saved by my rifle – the shrapnel hit it and it exploded.

“The guys still there are fighting like tigers. It is much harder than it looks on the news.”

Prophet remembered exactly when he was wounded in the arm because his partner had written the time on the tourniquet he applied to stop the bleeding: 11.20am. Less than 24 hours later, outside the hospital in Sumy, it was still too soon to talk about the three men lost or the two still missing.

No Ukrainian artillery had responded when they were under attack. “We are facing ‘shell hunger’ again,” Prophet said. He suspected his small unit had penetrated further than their commanders dared plan for. Another evacuee stumbled by on a crutch. Of 15 in his team, five survived a similar ambush.

The Kursk operation has proved a serious morale boost for Ukraine’s civilians and military alike. In Kyiv’s eyes, it has disproved Moscow’s claims of “red lines” which, if breached, would unleash nuclear retribution against Western capitals.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, accused Ukraine of blackmailing the West, warning that Western adversaries were “playing with fire”.

THE TIMES