Putin calls clashes in Russia's Kursk region 'large-scale provocation'
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the actions of the Ukrainian military in the Kursk region were a "large-scale provocation" at a meeting with government members on Aug. 7.
Moscow claimed that Ukrainian forces crossed the border into the Kursk region on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil. Kyiv has not commented on the fighting in the area.
Kursk region lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily Russian attacks since the liberation of its parts in April 2022. These attacks were not preceded by any Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
Putin claimed that Ukrainian soldiers are carrying out attacks on civilian facilities in the Kursk region, adding he is planning to meet with the heads of Russian security agencies. According to Russian officials, five people were killed and at least 20 injured as a result of clashes in the area.
These claims cannot be independently verified.
Earlier in the day, a source in intelligence services told the Kyiv Independent that a Ukrainian first-person-view (FPV) drone hit a Russian Mi-28 attack helicopter over Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6.
According to the crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState, one Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter and at least two tanks were destroyed in the battle amid reports of a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast.
Martin Fornusek
