Russia Claims to Thwart Ukraine’s Attempts to Enter Kursk Region, According to Reuters

Moscow – Russia’s defense ministry announced on Sunday that its forces successfully repelled six attempts by Ukrainian troops to infiltrate the western Kursk region. Additionally, they claimed to have gained control of the settlement of Makiivka in the eastern Luhansk region of Ukraine.

The ministry shared on the Telegram messaging app that its forces, with assistance from aircraft and artillery, thwarted incursions near Novy Put, located approximately 79 kilometers (50 miles) west of Sudzha, a strategic crossing for Russian exports to Europe via Ukraine.

On August 6, Ukraine launched its largest foreign assault on Russia since World War II, breaching the border into the Kursk region with the backing of numerous drones and heavy armaments, including Western-made weapons.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed earlier this month that his forces had control over 100 settlements in the Kursk region, encompassing more than 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles). Russian sources contested this claim, asserting that they have regained some villages through counter-offensives.

The Russian defense ministry reported that 50 Ukrainian servicemen were killed or injured during the latest attempt to breach the Kursk region, though they did not disclose the specific casualty figures. They also stated that a tank and four armored vehicles, alongside a car, were destroyed.

Verification of the battlefield reports by independent sources was not immediately possible, and Ukraine has not provided any comments on the situation.

Additionally, the Russian defense ministry reported that its air defenses intercepted 125 Ukrainian drones overnight. Meanwhile, a residential apartment building in the western city of Voronezh was reportedly damaged, as indicated by the local governor.