Kyiv’s soldiers have advanced as much as 10 kilometres inside Russia, according to US-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Ukrainian soldiers have made advances of up to 10 kilometres into the Kursk region during an incursion into Russian territory that is entering its third day.
Kyiv’s soldiers were reported to have penetrated at least two Russian defensive lines in the area, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Washington-based think tank claims Ukrainian troops had advanced as much as 10 kilometres into Russian territory, in what is said to be one of the largest cross-border incursions since the war began.
Russia’s defence ministry confirmed the incursion, stating that, “attempts by individual units to break through deep into the territory in the Kursk direction are being suppressed,” the ministry said.
“The Russian army is attacking Ukrainian combatants who are trying to advance on the area from Ukraine’s Sumy region,” it added.
The Kursk region’s acting deputy governor, Andrei Belostotsky, refuted the claims of Ukraine’s advancement.
“The enemy has not advanced a single metre, on the contrary, it is retreating. The enemy’s equipment and combat forces are being actively destroyed. We hope that in the near future … the enemy will be stopped,” said the governor, according to Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti.
Meanwhile, several outlets in Russia report that Ukrainian forces have seized the Sudzha checkpoint.
Some reports alledge that Ukrainian forces have captured over 40 Russian prisoners of war at the checkpoint.
Kyiv has yet to comment on the Kursk region’s offensive. However, Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council official Andrii Kovalenko said Russia was not in control of its border.
“Russian military commanders lie about controlling the situation in Kursk Oblast,” Kovalenko wrote in the Telegram post.
Analysts and observers believe Kyiv’s aim could be to draw Russian reserves to the area, potentially weakening Moscow’s offensive operations in several parts of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where Russian forces have increased attacks and are advancing gradually toward operationally significant gains.
But it could risk stretching outmanned Ukrainian troops further along the front line, which stretches over 1,000 kilometres.
The Kursk region’s border with Ukraine is 245 kilometres (150 miles) long, making it possible for saboteur groups to launch swift incursions and capture some ground before Russia deploys reinforcements.
The cross-border foray would be among Ukraine’s largest since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. and unprecedented for its deployment of Ukrainian military units.
In March, exiled pro-Ukraine Russian fighters attacked the Belgorod and Kursk regions but were pushed back with no gains to show.