Ukrainian troops make bold incursion into Russian territory
11:12 AM EDT, August 7, 2024
Ukrainian forces crossed the Russian border and entered the Kursk region in the Sudzha and Korenevo areas on Tuesday. By evening, about 400 soldiers had crossed the border. Due to the situation, Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting with members of the Security Council.
The meeting of the top leadership of the Russian Federation, usually held on Fridays, was urgently moved to Wednesday. The meeting convened by Vladimir Putin will include the heads of all security agencies, the heads of both houses of parliament, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, former president Dmitry Medvedev, and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The situation is unusual. For the first time, Ukrainian troops in such large numbers have entered Russian territory. On Tuesday, 400 soldiers, 11 tanks, and 20 armored fighting vehicles crossed the border.
Ukrainian troops enter Russian territory, occupy several localities
On the Ukrainian side, around 2,000 soldiers from the 22nd Mechanized Brigade and the 82nd Air Assault Brigade are stationed. They are supported by artillery and air defense units.
The operation in the Kursk region was preceded by drone attacks during the night of August 5 to 6. Ukrainians attempted to cross the border in four places, succeeding in two.
The attackers took control of four border localities in the Sudzha-Nikolayev-Daryino-Sverdlovka area. The military intended to advance along the Sudzha–Rylsk road, but this attempt was unsuccessful.
The FSB Border Guard units and local Interior Ministry formations resisted. Several Russians were taken prisoner by the Ukrainians.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that reserves would be sent to the battle area. The Ukrainian command has not yet commented on the ongoing clashes.
According to an expert from the Center for Eastern Studies, the actions taken are unprecedented. For the first time, regular units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the elite 82nd Air Assault Brigade equipped with American Stryker vehicles, took part in an operation on Russian territory.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, which the previous day claimed that Ukrainian forces had been pushed out of the Kursk region, admitted on Wednesday that fighting in the region continues. The Telegram channel "Two Majors" reports that Ukrainian troops were present in 11 localities, including Lyubimovka, Obukhivka, Zelenyi Shlyakh, Tolstyi Luh, Nizhny Klin, Sverdlovka, and Lebedevka.
In the border area, Russians are evacuating people. Mass events have been canceled in the region. The Russian Ministry of Health reported that 24 people were injured, including six children.
In the afternoon, Vladimir Putin commented on the events in the Kursk region in the media. "The Kyiv regime has carried out another large-scale provocation, conducting mass shelling," the Russian agency quoted.
