According to Moscow’s defense ministry, fierce fighting in the Kursk area of Russia is now in its third day, and operations are “ongoing” to drive out Ukrainian forces.
Tanks and armored vehicles reportedly helped at least 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers cross the border on Tuesday, according to Russia.
The deputy governor of Kursk, Andrei Belostotsky, reported on Thursday that at least four individuals had been killed in continuous military altercations, forcing about 3,000 residents to flee the area.
The claims have been met with staunch silence from the Ukrainian military, although President Volodymyr Zelensky’s top advisor has attributed any “military actions” to “Russia’s unequivocal aggression.”
Mykhailo Podolyak, a long-term aide to President Zelensky, added: “War is war, with its own rules, where the aggressor inevitably reaps corresponding outcomes.”
According to Russia’s defense ministry, advancements and “breakthrough attempts” by Ukrainian army formations in the Sudzhansky and Korenevsky districts of Kursk were blocked by a joint operation of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the military.
The Kremlin stated that Ukraine has lost 660 military soldiers since the start of combat in Kursk. Mr Belostotsky stated Kyiv’s forces were retreating from the region.
In its update on Thursday, Moscow said Kyiv had lost 82 units of armoured vehicles. A much higher number than its initial report that 11 tanks and more than 20 armoured vehicles had entered Russia near the town of Sudzha on Tuesday morning.
Also, on Thursday, Russia suggested, for the third consecutive day, to have stopped Ukrainian troops from advancing in Kursk.
In its latest report, the Institute for the Study of War, a well-respected think tank, said geolocated footage from the past two days showed that Ukrainian armoured vehicles have advanced to positions 10km (6.2 miles) into the Kursk region.
