Military forces from Ukraine believed to have entered a territory belonging to Russia

August 7, 2024 TruthUSA

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukrainian forces attacked the positions of Russian units in the Kursk region.

President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the border into the Kursk region, marking a possible first incursion of this nature since the start of the war.

According to the Russian Ministry, Ukrainian forces targeted the units covering the State Border of the Russian Federation near the settlements of Nikolayevo-Daryino and Oleshnya in the Kursk region, close to the Russian–Ukrainian border north of Kharkiv in Ukraine.

The attack involved 300 soldiers, 11 tanks, and 20 combat vehicles from the Ukrainian 22nd Mechanized Brigade.

In a speech to members of the Russian government, Putin urged regional authorities to defend Kursk, a region located north of Kharkiv, and described the incursion as a significant provocation.

Putin also claimed that Ukrainian forces were indiscriminately shelling civilian targets in the Kursk region, leading to injuries, including six children, as reported by the Russian Ministry of Health.

A total of 31 people were injured, with 19 hospitalized including four children, and telemedicine consultations were conducted with specialists from federal medical organizations.

The claims made by Russia have not been independently verified by The Epoch Times, and Ukrainian authorities have not issued a public response.

The extent of the attack, as well as whether Ukrainian forces were able to establish positions within Russia, remains unclear. It is also uncertain whether Ukraine’s military, a paramilitary group, or another fighting force carried out the assault.

According to RIA Novosti, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov reported that the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into Russian territory has been halted.

Following the alleged incursion, a state of emergency was declared in Kursk by Governor Alexei Smirnov, who called on residents to donate blood.

Smirnov stated on Telegram that the region had heroically resisted attacks by Ukrainian troops in the past 24 hours, with all emergency services on high alert. Evacuations were conducted, with over 200 people moved from shelled areas.

A state of emergency was implemented starting August 7 to address the repercussions of enemy forces entering the region, according to a translation of the post.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Telegram that Ka-52 helicopters were mobilized to carry out strikes against Ukrainian military equipment and troops near the Kursk border.

If confirmed, this cross-border incursion would mark one of Ukraine’s largest since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and it would be unprecedented for the deployment of Ukrainian military units.

Independent monitors have not been able to corroborate the claims. The Institute for the Study of War stated that it could not verify whether damaged and abandoned armored vehicles shown in a video located north of the border in the Kursk region were Ukrainian.

The Institute noted that Russian milbloggers have mostly dismissed the supposed Ukrainian raids into Kursk Oblast, and Ukrainian officials have largely refrained from commenting on the incidents.

Earlier this year, groups claiming to fight on Ukraine’s side alleged that they had penetrated parts of Kursk and the Belgorod region, but Moscow reported repelling those attacks. The border between the Kursk region and Ukraine spans 150 miles, enabling saboteur groups to launch swift incursions and capture territory before Russian reinforcements arrive.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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