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General Putin called it a “massive provocation.”
August 7, 2024. – Russia has accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the border into the Kursk region, which, if confirmed, would mark the first such incursion by Ukraine and would put pressure on Moscow in a region that has been largely untouched by either country – CNN.com reported.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, Russia’s Investigative Committee and Russia’s Ombudsman said Ukrainian troops launched a “large-scale attack” on Tuesday in an attempt to break through Russian defenses along the border in the Kursk region, north of Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the alleged incursion a “massive provocation” and said Kiev was “indiscriminately shooting at civilian buildings, residential buildings and ambulances with all types of weapons, including missiles.”
Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the claims, and CNN has been unable to independently verify them.
The extent of the attack remained unclear, including whether Ukrainian forces had captured any settlements or inflicted damage to any strategic targets. It was also unclear whether any Ukrainian soldiers remained on Russian territory.
Russian authorities and military bloggers said Ukrainian troops attacked from land and air into Russia near the town of Sudja, a town of 5,000 people about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the border.
Russia’s Health Ministry said shelling in Ukraine’s Kursk region injured 31 people, including six children.
The city’s mayor, Vitaly Slashchev, described the “very tense” atmosphere to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti: “There was no time to talk, many people were calling for evacuation.”
The available geo-located video does not indicate that Ukrainian troops have entered the town. Slashchev had previously told state media RT that the city was not under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Border guards “put up serious resistance to the enemy’s advance,” according to Dya Mayora, an unofficial Russian Telegram channel. “Unfortunately, enemy reconnaissance groups are infiltrating further,” the publication added.
CNN could not confirm the claim, but geolocated video showed parts of Souza had been heavily bombarded. CNN geolocated drone imagery showed about 20 men appearing to have surrendered at the badly damaged crossing southwest of Souza.
CNN was unable to confirm the identities of the people seen in the video. Sternenko, an unofficial Ukrainian social media channel that posted the video, said it showed at least 22 Russian soldiers “surrendering” in the Kursk region.
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