Russia Says Ukraine Launched Cross-Border Attack into Kursk Region

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Facts

  • Russian officials said that Ukraine launched a cross-border raid into the Kursk region on Tuesday, with reports of fighting six miles (10 km) into Russian territory.[1]
  • Russia's Defense Ministry said that up to 300 Ukrainian troops and 11 tanks took part in the assault, attacking Russian positions near Nikolayevo-Daryino and Oleshnya.[2]
  • Officials added that the attack was supported by rocket fire and drones, stating that a driver and a paramedic were killed after a drone struck an ambulance outside the town of Sudzha. A doctor was injured.[3]
  • On Wednesday, Russian officials said that a total of five people were killed and 28 were injured, adding that rocket and drone attacks into the Kursk region continued over the past day.[4]
  • While Russia's Defense Ministry said it sent reserve troops to the area and that it had repelled the attack, Russian military bloggers suggested that fighting inside Russian territory had continued.[5]
  • In its daily update, Ukraine's armed forces acknowledged cross-border strikes into the Kursk region, but didn't mention any ground offensive into the Russian region. Putin, meanwhile, on Wednesday accused Kyiv of 'another major provocation.'[3][6]

Sources: [1]Guardian, [2]TASS (a), [3]Reuters (a), [4]TASS (b), [5]Ukrainska Pravda and [6]Reuters (b).

Narratives

  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Ukraine's assault into the Kursk region is a major provocation, but Russian forces repelled the attack and drove the attackers back to the international border. Fighting is ongoing there, but the situation is under control and poses no real threat to Russian territory.
  • Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska Pravda. While Russia's Defense Ministry claims to have repelled this attack, military bloggers from the country conceded that fighting is in fact ongoing inside Russian territory. The situation is not as under control as Russia's Ministry of Defense claims.

Predictions