An emergency situation has been declared in Russia’s Kursk region as a rare cross-border attack by Ukrainian troops continued into Wednesday.
Acting Regional Governor Alexei Smirnov stated that the move was necessary to address the consequences of the hostile forces entering the area. Russian authorities reported that at least 5 civilians had been killed and 31 others injured, including 3 children, since the start of the incursion. Putin described the attack as a severe provocative act.
On Tuesday morning, about 1,000 Ukrainian troops, along with 11 tanks and over 20 other armored vehicles, entered Russia near the town of Sudzha. Fighting was reported in several villages, with local authorities urging residents to limit movement and canceling all public events.
Air raid sirens were activated in Kursk, and online footage showed warplanes flying low over the region. Columns of smoke were seen rising in various areas. Thousands were evacuated from the border areas, and medical teams were dispatched from other cities. Ukrainian incursions into Russian territory have been extremely rare since Moscow launched a full-scale war in February 2022.
On Wednesday evening, Ukrainian parliamentarian Oleksiy Honcharenko announced that Kyiv’s army had taken control of a gas distribution point in Sudzha, which plays a crucial role in the flow of natural gas from Russia to Europe via Ukraine.
Russia’s response to the incursion will be one of the first major tests for the new Defense Minister, Andrei Belousov, since replacing Sergei Shoigu. Former President and Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitri Medvedev, has called for Moscow to retaliate by advancing troops further into Ukraine—into Odesa, Kharkiv, Kyiv, and beyond.
