Russia has accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the border into its Kursk region and launching a “massive attack” on Tuesday.
This marks the first reported incursion of its kind from Ukraine, putting pressure on Moscow in an area largely untouched by the ongoing two-year war.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian Investigative Committee, and the Russian Ombudsman for Children reported that Ukrainian forces attempted to break through Russian defenses on the borders of the Kursk region, which lies just north of Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the alleged incursion as a “large-scale provocation,” accusing Kyiv of “indiscriminate shooting from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential buildings, and ambulances.”
While Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the claims, the extent of the attack, including whether Ukrainian troops seized any settlements or caused significant damage to strategic targets, remains unclear. It is also uncertain if any Ukrainian soldiers remain on Russian territory.