Putin Condemns Ukrainian Incursion into Russia as Large-Scale Provocation

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described a Ukrainian incursion into the country's southwestern Kursk region as a "large-scale provocation" as his officials asserted that they were fighting off cross-border raids for a second day. The incursion, which Ukraine has not publicly confirmed, has sparked intense fighting in the region, with both sides reporting casualties and damage.

According to Putin, the Ukrainian shelling has killed at least two people, including a paramedic and an ambulance driver, and injured 24 others. The head of the Kursk region, acting Gov. Alexei Smirnov, has urged residents to donate blood due to the intense fighting and has reported that over 200 people have been evacuated from areas under shelling.

The Russian Defense Ministry has claimed that up to 300 Ukrainian troops, supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored combat vehicles, had crossed into Russia and suffered heavy losses. However, the claims have not been independently verified, and open-source monitors have cast doubt on the Russian claims.

The incursion, if confirmed, would be among Ukraine's largest since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, and could be aimed at drawing Russian reserves to the area, potentially weakening Moscow's offensive operations in eastern Ukraine. However, it could also risk stretching outmanned Ukrainian troops further along the front line.

The situation remains unclear, with both sides providing conflicting accounts of the situation. Disinformation and propaganda have played a central role in the war, now in its third year.