Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov attended a high-level meeting on Wednesday to address the ongoing conflict in the Kursk region, where heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces has entered its third day.
According to Moscow’s defence ministry, at least 1,000 Ukrainian forces, supported by tanks and armoured vehicles, crossed the border into Russia on Tuesday. The clashes have resulted in the evacuation of 3,000 people from the region, with at least four reported deaths, as stated by Kursk’s deputy Governor Andrei Belostotsky.
While Ukraine’s military has remained silent on the allegations, a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russia for the military actions, calling it “unequivocal aggression.”
Russia’s defence ministry reported that Ukrainian army formations in the Sudzhansky and Korenevsky districts in Kursk were thwarted by a combined effort from the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the military. The Kremlin claimed that Ukraine had lost 660 military personnel since the start of hostilities in Kursk.
The Institute for the Study of War reported that geolocated footage showed Ukrainian armoured vehicles advancing 10km into the Kursk region. Additionally, the BBC verified footage of fighter jets flying low overhead in the area.
The situation has raised concerns domestically, with pro-war Telegram channels criticizing the Russian military leadership for not accurately assessing the situation on the ground. Local leaders in both Russia and Ukraine have ordered evacuations in regions adjacent to Kursk.
This incursion is not the first by fighters based in Ukraine, with previous raids being repelled by Russian security forces. Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcharenko claimed that the Ukrainian army had taken control of the Sudzha gas hub, a major facility for the transit of natural gas from Russia to the EU.
As the conflict continues, Russia’s National Guard has reinforced security around Kursk’s nuclear power station, located northeast of Sudzha. The ongoing clashes in Kursk come as Russia has made incremental gains in eastern Ukraine, with the main offensive expected to last another month and a half to two months, according to Ukraine’s head of defence intelligence.
