State of Emergency Declared in Southeastern Russia Amid Intense Border Clashes
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of instigating a “major provocation” following Moscow’s reports of an extensive cross-border assault in the southwestern Kursk region. The region’s acting governor, Alexey Smirnov, declared a state of emergency after two days of fierce combat.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Health, 31 civilians, including six children, were injured on Wednesday. The day before, Smirnov reported that five people were killed when Ukrainian forces, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, breached the border. Russia has not disclosed any military casualties.
“The Kyiv regime has launched another major provocation,” Putin stated during a meeting with Russian officials on Wednesday, addressing the ongoing clashes in Kursk, which borders Ukraine’s Sumy region to the north.
While Ukraine has not officially commented on the incident, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that Ukrainian troops were advancing northwest of the border town of Sudzha, located 530 kilometers (330 miles) southwest of Moscow. Russian forces responded with air and artillery strikes throughout Wednesday and deployed reinforcements to the area.
Eyewitnesses speaking on Russian television described fleeing border areas under drone fire. In a video circulated by Russian media, Evgeny Shestopalov, a priest in Sudzha, described the town of approximately 5,000 residents as “on fire,” with those unable to escape seeking refuge in his church.
Despite conflicting reports, some military bloggers from both Ukraine and Russia suggested that Ukrainian fighters had advanced several kilometers into Russian territory.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington, DC-based think tank, noted in its August 7 report that geolocated footage indicated Ukrainian forces might have advanced up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Russia, seemingly along the Sudzha-Korenovo highway.
During a meeting with Putin, Russia’s General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov claimed that Russian forces had repelled an attack by approximately 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, significantly more than the Ministry of Defense had reported earlier. He vowed to push the Ukrainian troops back to the border.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not mention the events in Kursk in his nightly address, nor did the General Staff include it in their daily battlefield update. However, in a late evening report, it was noted that fighting had intensified in the Sumy region, where authorities evacuated about 6,000 residents.
The General Staff reported that Russian forces deployed aircraft, helicopters, and heavy weaponry in the region but suffered substantial losses without making significant progress.
In Washington, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the United States is seeking clarity from Ukraine regarding the incursion, emphasizing that the U.S. had no prior knowledge of the operation. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby reaffirmed that U.S. policy remains unchanged, with U.S.-supplied weaponry intended only for targeting imminent threats just across the border.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller remarked on Russia’s accusations: “It’s somewhat ironic for them to call it a provocation, considering Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
The battles near Sudzha coincide with Russia’s announcement of territorial gains along Ukraine’s eastern front, claiming to have captured 420 square kilometers (162 square miles) since June 14.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, pro-Kyiv forces, including Russian units fighting for Ukraine, such as the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, have made several brief incursions into Russian territory.
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