Putin accuses Ukraine of ‘major provocation’ in attack on Russia’s Kursk | Russia-Ukraine war News

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of a “main provocation” after Moscow mentioned it was battling a serious cross-border assault on the southwestern Kursk area.

Alexey Smirnov, the area’s appearing governor, mentioned he had launched a state of emergency amid two days of fierce combating.

The Ministry of Well being mentioned 31 civilians, together with six youngsters, had been injured on Wednesday. Smirnov mentioned the day earlier than that 5 folks had been killed as Ukrainian troops backed by tanks and armoured automobiles breached the border.

Russia didn’t present any info on army casualties.

“The Kyiv regime has launched one other main provocation,” Putin informed Russian authorities officers on Wednesday, referring to the assault within the Kursk area, which borders Ukraine’s northern Sumy area.

Ukraine has not commented immediately on the assault, however Russia’s Ministry of Defence mentioned Ukrainian forces had been pushing to the northwest of the border city of Sudzha, 530km (330 miles) southwest of Moscow.

Russia mentioned it used air and artillery firepower to repel the assault all through Wednesday, after earlier speeding reinforcements to the area.

Witnesses interviewed on Russian tv mentioned that they had fled border areas in automobiles beneath drone hearth. A priest in Sudzha, Evgeny Shestopalov, mentioned in a video shared by Russian media, that the city of about 5,000 folks was “on hearth” and that residents unable to evacuate had taken shelter in his church.

The extent of the harm and the depth of the Ukrainian advance stays unclear, nonetheless.

A number of studies from Ukrainian and Russian army bloggers advised the fighters had gained a number of kilometres.

The Institute for the Examine of Warfare, a Washington, DC-based assume tank, mentioned in its August 7 replace that geolocated footage advised Ukraine could have superior so far as 10km (6.2 miles) inside Russia. It mentioned the troops seemed to be attempting to advance alongside the Sudzha-Korenovo freeway.

On the assembly with Putin, Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s Common Employees, mentioned Russian forces had halted an assault by as many as 1,000 Ukrainian troopers – greater than thrice the determine that the Defence Ministry had acknowledged as concerned on Tuesday – and would push them again to the border.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made no reference to the occasions in Kursk in his nightly video tackle, whereas the Common Employees didn’t point out it in its each day battlefield replace. In a late night report, it mentioned combating had intensified within the Sumy area, the place authorities have evacuated about 6,000 folks.

The Common Employees mentioned Russian forces had deployed plane, helicopters and heavy weapons within the space, “however made no headway and suffered important losses”.

In Washington, White Home spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned the US was looking for an understanding from Ukraine on the incursion, and mentioned it had had no advance data of it.

US Nationwide Safety Council spokesman John Kirby careworn the US had not modified its coverage on Ukraine’s use of US-supplied weaponry, which could possibly be used solely “to focus on imminent threats simply throughout the border”.

US State Division spokesman Matthew Miller mentioned of the Kremlin: “It’s a little bit wealthy, them calling it a provocation, given Russia violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”

The battles round Sudzha come as Russia publicizes advances alongside the entrance line in Ukraine’s east and claims to have taken 420 sq. kilometres (162 sq. miles) of territory from Ukrainian forces since June 14.

Russia started its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Professional-Kyiv forces, together with items of Russians combating on Ukraine’s aspect, such because the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, have made a number of temporary incursions into Russia since then.