A state of emergency was declared in the Kursk region of southwest Russia on Thursday after a rare incursion by Ukrainian forces.
Around 3,000 residents have been evacuated from the area as the situation remains tense.
Russian officials, including Acting Governor Alexei Smirnov, described the situation as “complicated”.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its forces are actively countering Ukrainian troops in the region, stating that they have destroyed numerous Ukrainian military vehicles and killed hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers.
They reported that Ukrainian forces crossed the border near the town of Sudzha with tanks and armoured vehicles. Russia’s military response included air and missile strikes, along with artillery fire.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the Ukrainian incursion, labelling it a “large-scale provocation.”
Putin noted that the Russian military, alongside border guards and reinforcement units, successfully halted the Ukrainian advance.
However, the Ukrainian government has not officially commented on the situation.
The U.S. State Department confirmed it was not informed beforehand of the Ukrainian operation and refrained from speculating on Ukraine’s motives. However, they emphasised that Ukraine has the right to make its own tactical decisions during the ongoing conflict.
Some analysts suggest that the Ukrainian incursion could be a strategic move to force Russia to divert its military resources from eastern Ukraine, where Russia has been making gains.
Reports indicate that Ukrainian forces have advanced up to 10 kilometres into the Kursk region, breaching Russian defensive lines.
The Kremlin’s response to the incursion has been mixed, with some officials downplaying the significance of the attack, while others, like Dmitry Medvedev, a senior Russian official, called for a strong military response to crush the Ukrainian forces in Kursk.
Russian military bloggers have criticised the Russian military for failing to detect and prevent the Ukrainian offensive, highlighting internal dissatisfaction with Russia’s handling of the conflict.