Moscow, 7 August 2024 (TDI): Thousands of people have left their homes in Russia’s Kursk region, after defence officials said around 300 Ukrainian troops crossed into the border province on Tuesday.
Fighting is reportedly ongoing in the area, as Russia said forces supported by 11 tanks and over 20 armoured combat vehicles, crossed the border near the town of Sudzha, 10km (6 miles) from the frontline.
Fighting reportedly took place in various villages on Russian territory throughout the day. It was followed by Ukrainian air attacks which killed 3 civilians and continued into the night, Russian officials said.
Officials in Ukraine have yet to comment on the Russian allegations.
Twenty-four people, including six minors, have been injured in Ukrainian shelling of the border region, Moscow said.
On Wednesday, Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it prevented the Ukrainian Armed Forces from advancing “deep into Russian territory” in the Kursk region and said it had destroyed multiple Ukrainian drones overnight.
However, a number of air alerts continued to be issued in Kursk, where local officials urged people to limit their movements and all public events were cancelled.
Video posted online showed fighter jets flying low overhead in the region on Tuesday, with smoke rising from areas on the ground.
Alexei Smirnov, the acting regional governor, said he had briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin about the situation, which he said was under control.
Russians evacuate border region amid alleged Ukraine incursion https://t.co/KmtCWB7VvD
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) August 7, 2024
He added that several thousand people had been evacuated from the areas of the region that were under attack and doctors from Moscow and St Petersburg were on their way to offer help.
Ukraine has not yet commented on any of the reports about events in Kursk.
One colonel in Ukraine’s military, Vladislav Seleznyov, said that the attack was “preventative” with an estimated 75,000 Russian forces continuing to gather close to the border.
Fears of Another Russian Incursion
After a major cross-border incursion by Russia into the north-eastern Kharkiv region in May, there had been fears it would attempt the same into the Sumy region further north.
With Ukraine now apparently capturing several highways and settlements the other way, those ambitions may well have been frustrated, for now.
But with Ukrainian troops already overstretched and outmanned, some military analysts are questioning the wisdom of such cross-border raids.
