Putin accuses Ukraine amid alleged border incursion

President Vladimir Putin has declared that Ukraine is attempting "another major provocation" following the announcement by defense authorities that Ukrainian forces have entered Russia's Kursk region.

Ten kilometers (six miles) from the front line, Moscow reported that troops crossed the border close to the village of Sudzha, backed by eleven tanks and over twenty armored fighting vehicles. Russia's Chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, informed President Putin in televised remarks on Wednesday afternoon that Russian forces were "continuing to destroy the adversary in areas directly adjacent to the Russian-Ukrainian border" and that the "advance" into the Kursk region had been halted.

Additionally, according to Mr. Gerasimov, up to 1,000 Ukrainian troops had infiltrated the area with the intention of annexing the area surrounding the town of Sudzha, and 215 more Russian soldiers had been injured in addition to 100 Russian casualties. Regarding the Russian accusations, Ukraine has not yet responded. According to officials, thousands of locals have abandoned their houses in the area. Speaking prior to the Security Council meeting in Moscow, Mr. Putin charged that Ukrainian soldiers were "firing indiscriminately" at homes and structures used by civilians. On Tuesday, there were apparently fights in a number of Russian settlements. According to Russian authorities, it was followed by airstrikes by the Ukrainians that killed three civilians and went into the night.

Moscow reported that the border region in Ukraine has been shelled by Ukraine, injuring twenty-four persons, including six children. The Russian Ministry of Defense declared on Wednesday that it had destroyed multiple Ukrainian drones over night and that it had stopped the Ukrainian Armed Forces from moving "deep into Russian territory" in the Kursk region. All public activities were canceled and local authorities asked people to restrict their travels, yet a number of air alarms persisted in Kursk. On Tuesday, fighter jets were seen flying low over the area in video that was uploaded online and confirmed by the BBC. Smoke was seen rising from some locations on the ground.

The situation, according to acting regional governor Alexei Smirnov, was under control. He claimed to have briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on it. In addition, Mr. Smirnov stated that thousands of people had evacuated the attacked sections of the region and that medical professionals from Moscow and St. Petersburg were their route to provide support. of any of the reports of the events in Kursk, Kiev has not yet responded. Vladislav Seleznyov, a colonel in the Ukrainian military, told the well-known Nexta station that the attack was "preventative," since an estimated 75,000 Russian forces were still assembling near the border.

Following Russia's significant cross-border invasion into the northeastern Kharkiv region in May, there were concerns that Moscow may try a similar operation into the Sumy region further north. Those goals may have been short-lived for the time being, as Ukraine appears to be capturing a number of settlements and highways in the opposite direction.

However, given that Ukrainian forces are already overmanned and overextended, several military analysts are doubting the viability of these kinds of cross-border raids.