- A state of emergency has been declared in the Kursk region, as a rare cross-border attack by Ukrainian troops continued on Wednesday.
- The acting regional governor, Alexei Smirnov, said the move was necessary “to eliminate the consequences of enemy forces coming into the region”.
Ukraine has launched a major attack with its troops into Russia, in what appears to be its biggest and most serious incursion into the country since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
A Ukrainian force numbering in the hundreds backed with armored vehicles advanced on Tuesday across the border into Russia’s Kursk region.
The Ukrainian troops appeared to have captured a number of settlements in the border area around the village of Sudzha, advancing perhaps as much as 15 km inside Russia, with heavy fighting reported to be continuing for a second day.
The Ukrainian incursion prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold urgent meetings on Wednesday with his government and defense leadership, while local authorities said thousands of Russian civilians were being evacuated away from the fighting.
The Russian Telegram account VChK-OGPU, that is linked to the Wagner mercenary group, on Wednesday claimed a column of Ukrainian troops had passed through the village of Lyubimovka, about 6 miles inside the border and that they appeared to be moving towards another village Korenovo.
Ukrainian troops also reportedly entered the border town of Sudzha. Sudzha is home to a key pipeline hub for supplying gas to Europe. The situation for Russian forces had continued to deteriorate Wednesday and that earlier Ukrainian troops had entered at least 11 settlements since Tuesday, though not seizing most.
Russia’s defense ministry initially claimed to have rebuffed the Ukrainian attack and forced them to retreat. The head of Russia’s General Staff, Gen. Valeriy Gerasimov, on Wednesday briefed Putin that more than 1,000 Ukrainian troops had crossed the border and claimed that hundreds had been killed and wounded. But it was clear on Wednesday that intense fighting was continuing, as Russian officials announced further evacuations of civilians from the region. At least 31 civilians have been injured by shelling, according to local officials in Kursk.
It was clear the Ukrainian attack was the largest it has mounted into Russia. Ukraine has previously launched smaller raids using Russian groups opposed to the Kremlin and controlled by Ukrainian intelligence, entering border villages and then retreating. This is the first time, Ukrainian military units have entered Russia in such numbers.
Source: ABS News
