The clashes extended as far as the outskirts of Sudzha, a town of some 5,000 people about 10 kilometres from the border in the Russian region of Kursk.
Some 300 Ukrainian soldiers conducted an incursion across the border into Russia, engaging in combat inside Moscow’s territory on Tuesday, according to the Kremlin’s claims.
Members of Ukraine’s 22nd mechanised brigade launched an attack between the border villages of Nikolayevo-Daryino and Oleshnya in the Kursk region of Russia, supported by “11 tanks and more than 20 armoured fighting vehicles,” the Russian defence ministry said.
The clashes extended as far as the outskirts of Sudzha, a town of some 5,000 people about 10 kilometres from the border near Ukraine’s region of Sumy.
The assault was backed by drones and missile strikes, according to Moscow.
At least five civilians were killed, and some 28 were injured, mostly in Sudzha and Korenevo districts, Russian state-owned news agency Tass said. Claims of drone and missile strikes and casualty reports could not be independently confirmed.
Although Moscow claimed it pushed back the incursion, it is unclear whether the assault was over by Wednesday or if fighting was ongoing.
Kyiv did not immediately comment on the alleged incursion. However, Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council official Andrii Kovalenko said Russia was not in control of its border.
“Russian military commanders lie about controlling the situation in Kursk Oblast,” Kovalenko wrote in the Telegram post.
This is not the first time Ukrainian forces have entered Russian territory. In March, exiled pro-Ukraine Russian fighters attacked Belgorod and Kursk regions but were pushed back with no gains to show.
Questions remain over the benefits of similar actions, aside from shock value and forcing parts of Russian troops to bolster their defences by moving troops from elsewhere.
