Russia said on Wednesday that it was dealing with an unprecedented cross-border invasion of Ukrainian troops backed by armored vehicles and air support, with Moscow rushing to reinforce the area after some President Vladimir Putin called a ‘major provocation’.
The attack has not been acknowledged by Ukraine but would represent a dramatic shift in strategy as its forces struggle to hold key frontline territory. the east of the country.
While developments on the ground were unclear, the apparent attack on the Kursk region in southern Russia raised questions about the Kremlin’s defenses and Kiev’s objectives at a crucial moment in the war.
Invasion of Kursk
Acting Governor Alexei Smirnov first reported On Tuesday morning it was announced that Ukrainian forces were trying to cross the border into his region.
Hours later, the Russian Defense Ministry said up to 300 Ukrainian troops, supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored fighting vehicles, attacked Russian positions on the border. It said its forces repelled the attack Tuesday night with artillery, aircraft and drones.
The ministry said Wednesday morning that it was still fighting the invasion, saying some 260 Ukrainian troops had been killed because the army and border guards had prevented them from advancing deep into Russian territory.
Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov reported to Putin later on Wednesday that some 1,000 Ukrainian troops had raided the area early Tuesday morning, leaving at least 100 people dead and 215 wounded.
NBC News has not verified the claims.
Smirnov said he had spoken to Putin on the phone the night before and that the Russian leader “kept the situation under personal control.” He added that residents of the region’s border were being evacuated and urged people to donate blood as fighting continued.
Five civilians had been killed since Tuesday, he said. Russia’s Health Ministry said 24 people had been wounded, state news agency Tass reported.
Videos and images geolocated by NBC News show damaged buildings in the border town of Sudzha in the Kursk region, just 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Ukrainian border and home to about 5,000 people.
It is unclear whether the damage or reported casualties are the result of ground combat or the missile and drone fire that Smirnov previously reported.
Putin himself spoke about the situation in Kursk at an unrelated meeting on Wednesday afternoon. He accused Ukraine of “another major provocation” and said he would meet with the heads of the country’s security, defense and law enforcement agencies about the situation.
The rapid developments sent Russian military bloggers into a frenzy. On Wednesday morning, they reported that the advance was continuing and that Ukrainian troops had gained a foothold.
The influential Telegram channel “Two Majors” reported that Ukrainian troops had penetrated as far as nine miles into the Kursk region and were present in 11 settlements. Others claimed that Ukraine was bringing fresh troops to the area of the breakthrough, with elite and well-trained divisions on standby. NBC News was unable to verify those reports.
While Russian volunteer groups opposing the Kremlin have tried a series of raids Since last year, Ukrainian troops have been moving into Russian regions bordering Ukraine. It appears to be the first time Ukrainian troops have attempted such a daring attack.
There has been no official comment from Kiev on the raid or what assets may have been involved. The Ukrainian military and military intelligence did not immediately respond to a request for comment from NBC News.
But it raised questions about why Ukraine would have invaded Russian territory with regular troops, when military observers say it is dwindling soldiers and weapons in the vulnerable east, particularly near the cities Pokrovsk and Toretsk in the Donetsk region.
The General Staff of Ukraine said on wednesday that its forces repulsed 42 enemy attacks in the direction of Pokrovsk and 18 in the direction of Toretsk.
It’s difficult to understand what exactly Ukraine is trying to achieve with this invasion, Matthew Ford, an associate professor of war studies at the Swedish Defense University in Stockholm, told NBC News.
Kiev could be trying to distract Moscow, forcing it to send troops to the border, Ford said. Ukraine could also simply need a “good news story” for its domestic audience or be looking to regain headlines in the West, he added.
But given the difficult situation around Pokrovsk and Toretsk, he said, it could do Ukraine more harm than good in the long run.
“What they’re doing is effectively extending their line and potentially thinning out the number of troops they can use to defend that line,” Ford said. “There has to be something else going on that makes them think this is a good move,” he said, adding that much will depend on how many troops Ukraine actually commits to the invasion and whether they plan to continue beyond a simple raid.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
