(Reuters) – Moscow and Kyiv announced on Sunday that Ukraine had launched a new attack on Kursk, a region in western Russia.
Ukrainian troops crossed the border in a surprise incursion on August 6 and managed to retain part of the territory, which could provide Kyiv with leverage in the event of possible peace talks.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that its forces were pushing back Ukrainian forces, but Russian military bloggers also reported heavy pressure on the Russian side.
Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, spoke on Telegram of “good news” from Kursk, adding: “Russia is getting what it deserves.”
Andriy Kovalenko, the director of the official Ukrainian Center against Disinformation, wrote on the same network that Russian troops had been attacked in several places.
According to the Russian statement, Ukraine attacked around 06:00 GMT near the village of Berdin with two tanks, a mine clearance vehicle and 12 armored fighting vehicles with paratroopers.
Two Ukrainian attacks were repelled, the same source added.
Reuters was unable to independently verify the situation on the ground.
(Mark Trevelyan and Lucy Papachristou, with Olena Harmash in Kyiv; French version Elizabeth Pineau)
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