Russia’s accuses Ukraine of cross-border infiltration in Kursk region
- 6 August, 10:52
The Russian Defence Ministry on August 6 stated that Ukrainian fighters belonging to the army’s 22nd Mechanized Brigade broke into the territory of Russia’s Kursk region. In a statement posted on its Telegram channel, the ministry wrote that a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group with heavy equipment entered the Kursk region on the two countries’ border.
As many as 300 Ukrainian troops, supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored combat vehicles, attacked Russian border positions in the area of Nikolayevo-Daryino and Oleshnya in the Kursk region that borders Ukraine’s Sumy region, the Defence Ministry stated. It added that six Ukrainian tanks, four armored personnel carriers and six other armored vehicles were destroyed in the fighting.
"After suffering losses, the Ukrainian sabotage group retreated to its territory, while some of the fighters tried to gain a foothold directly on the territory adjacent to the state border, where they were blocked by Russian army units," the defence ministry said in a statement. In addition, the Russian Federal Security Service, FSB, said Russian forces had foiled "provocation" by Ukraine. Acting head of Kursk region Alexei Smirnov said earlier on Tuesday that Russian soldiers and FSB forces had repelled a Ukrainian attack but the situation at the border remained "difficult".
Several videos were posted on Ukrainian Telegram channels, showing the aftermath of the attack on Kursk. In one of the videos Russian soldiers allegedly surrendered to Ukrainian troops who had entered Kursk. There have been no reports in Ukraine about the attack on Kursk on Tuesday. However, Ukraine's military authorities in the Sumy region said Ukrainian forces had destroyed a Russian ballistic missile, two drones and a helicopter in the region.
