Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of a “provocation” on Wednesday, and Moscow’s Defense Ministry said fighting was underway in Russia’s Kursk border region, with civilians fleeing an alleged Ukrainian incursion.
According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Putin said Ukraine had “once again staged a massive provocation by indiscriminately firing at civilian buildings with various types of weapons, including rocket launchers.”
The Defense Ministry said earlier that Russian forces continued to combat the incursion, a day after it said it had repelled a Ukrainian offensive on the Ukrainian-Russian border.
“The operation to destroy the Ukrainian armed forces continues,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that at least 260 Ukrainian soldiers and 50 units of equipment, including seven tanks, were killed in the fighting.
Putin said he would receive more reports on the military situation during a meeting with the Defense Ministry, the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
In response to the offensive, the Investigative Committee in Moscow, Russia’s top prosecutor, has opened a criminal investigation into what it describes as a terrorist attack on Russian territory.
According to Russian authorities, thousands of civilians have fled border villages since Tuesday because of the fighting, leaving at least three dead and more than 20 wounded.
Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk, called on residents to get to safety and citizens to donate blood. At least six children were reportedly injured.
While Moscow claimed the situation was under control, a number of Russian military bloggers reported that the advance was a major offensive by Ukrainian forces.
Unverifiable reports suggest that Ukrainian units are heading towards the town of Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region, where calls have been made to evacuate civilians.
According to blogger Alexander Sladkov, Ukrainian troops had advanced 10 kilometers into Russian territory.
Several bloggers estimate Ukrainian troops at 900 to 2,000 men. Military observers say Russian troops are only weakly deployed in the border region.
Ukraine has not officially confirmed the offensive. Kiev has repeatedly attacked targets in Russia since a full-scale invasion of Moscow in February 2022.
