Ukrainian soldiers take Russian border towns
Ukrainian soldiers cross the Russian border on Tuesday. According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the situation in the Kursk region is under control. However, Russian military bloggers disagree. Kremlin soldiers are reportedly being pushed back and even surrounded.
One day after Ukrainian attacks on the western Russian Kursk region left several dead, the region has again become the target of Ukrainian air strikes, according to official statements. Two Ukrainian rockets were shot down by air defense systems in the bordering area, Governor Alexei Smirnov announced on Telegram. Additionally, three Ukrainian drones were intercepted.
On Monday, there were reportedly attacks by Ukrainian forces in Kursk, involving around 300 soldiers, 11 tanks, and about 20 other armored vehicles, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The ministry claimed to have destroyed 16 vehicles. A total of five people were killed in the attacks, and the ministry claimed to have repelled the attack entirely. "After suffering heavy losses, the remnants of the sabotage group retreated to Ukrainian territory," a statement said on Tuesday.
However, Russian military bloggers paint a different picture. They report that Russian soldiers were driven out of Sverdlikovo overnight. In the border town of Oleshnya, about 10 kilometers south, Russian troops are said to have been surrounded. There are unconfirmed reports of Russian soldiers surrendering. Videos circulating on social media on Tuesday appear to show captured Russian soldiers.
Russian military bloggers claim that Chechen fighters had previously secured the Russian border. However, when Ukrainian soldiers attacked, they simply abandoned their positions and retreated. The popular Russian military blog Rybar reports that Ukrainian soldiers even managed to dig in on Russian territory. The population of the town of Sudzha, about 10 kilometers behind the border, was reportedly evacuated for safety.
Previous advances were symbolic
Moreover, Russian sources report that the Ukrainian military has deployed air defense systems in the Sumy region. This is said to be preventing or hindering the use of Russian fighter jets and helicopters over the Kursk region. Unconfirmed reports suggest that a Russian Mi-28 helicopter was shot down by a Ukrainian drone over the Kursk region.
The Russian border region of Belgorod has been occasionally attacked by groups of Kremlin-hostile Russian volunteers fighting on the Ukrainian side during the war. However, these attacks have typically been limited in both space and time. Western military experts have primarily attributed symbolic significance to these attacks, aiming to suggest to the Russian population that the Kremlin is unable to effectively protect its own borders and population. Militarily, these attacks have left little impact on Russian territory.
In response to the Ukrainian attack on Sverdlikovo, Russian troops in Oleshnya have found themselves under siege, with unverified accounts of soldiers surrendering. This comes a day after Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border, resulting in The attack on Ukraine continuing to escalate in the Kursk region.
