The Russian military has said it is “continuing to repel” a Ukrainian cross-border incursion into the western Kursk region, a surprise attack now in its fourth day.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 280 servicemen have been killed in Ukraine in the past 24 hours. This claim has not been independently verified.
Ukrainian forces are reportedly operating more than 10 kilometers inside Russia, the deepest cross-border advance by Kiev since Moscow launched a large-scale invasion in February 2022.
Ukraine has not openly admitted the invasion, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Moscow must “feel” the consequences of the invasion.
The Ukrainian military said it struck a military airfield deep inside Russia overnight and destroyed guided bombs stored in warehouses.
The Ukrainian military said in a statement that after the attack last night there was a huge fire and several explosions at the Lipetsk airport, more than 350 kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
The statement said the airport was known for Russian Su-34, Su-35 and MiG-31 fighter jets, but gave no further information about the attack.
Lipetsk regional authorities said a state of emergency was now in effect in the area, confirming the detonations at an “energy infrastructure facility.” Residents of four nearby villages were evacuated.
In a statement Tuesday, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces were repelling “an attempt by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to invade the territory of the Russian Federation.”
Russia was said to be using aircraft and artillery to suppress “attack attempts by enemy units.”
Earlier on Tuesday, a “federal state of emergency” was declared in the Kursk region, a measure that underscores the seriousness of the current situation.
Russia reported that about 1,000 Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, entered the Kursk region on Tuesday morning.
“Russia brought war to our country and should feel what it has done,” Zelensky said in a video address on Thursday evening.
“Ukrainians know how to achieve their goals. And we did not choose to achieve our goals in war,” he added.
