Acting governor Alexei Smirnov reported via his official Telegram page that five civilians, including two ambulance crew members, were killed and at least 20 were wounded as a result of clashes with Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region.
Smirnov added that two missiles were downed over the region in the early hours of Aug. 7. The Kyiv Independent couldn't immediately verify those claims.
On Aug. 6, Russia's Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian soldiers broke into the territory of Russia's Kursk Oblast. This announcement followed reports from Russian pro-war Telegram channels, which claimed that a sabotage and reconnaissance group, equipped with heavy weaponry, had entered the region earlier that morning.
Kursk Oblast borders Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast, an area subjected to daily Russian attacks since parts of it were liberated in April 2022.
The crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState shared images that appeared to show a downed Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter and two destroyed tanks, amidst reports of a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast.
Earlier, Ukrainian authorities in Sumy Oblast reported that troops in the area had downed a Russian helicopter, two drones, and a ballistic missile. This announcement came as reports indicated intensified Russian attacks in the oblast.
At around 5 p.m. local time, Russia's Defense Ministry alleged that up to 300 soldiers from Ukraine's 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, equipped with tanks and armored vehicles, had attacked Russian units near the border settlements of Nikolaevo-Darino and Oleshnya in the Kursk region.
Ukraine's General Staff on Aug. 6 reported Russian strikes on border villages but made no mention of any Ukrainian offensive operation inside Russian territory.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
(Updated: )
