Russia reported today that it is engaged in heavy fighting against Ukrainian forces that entered Russia’s Kursk region, marking one of the largest incursions on Russian soil since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022.

After a Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023 failed to make major gains, Russia advanced this year and has seized 420 square kilometers of territory from Ukrainian forces since June 14, said Sergei Shoigu, head of Russia’s security council.

Ukraine retaliated yesterday, Tuesday, and fighting continued overnight as Ukrainian forces pushed north, west of the border town of Sudzha, 530 km southwest of Moscow, Russia’s defense ministry said.

Vladimir Putin addressed the situation in Kursk today, stating, among other things, that “the Kyiv regime has launched another large-scale provocation, firing indiscriminately from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings.”

The Defense Ministry said it was still fighting Ukrainian units “in the areas of the Kursk region right next to the Russian-Ukrainian border.”

“Air strikes, missile forces, artillery fire, and actions of units covering the state border prevented the enemy from advancing deep into the territory of the Russian Federation.”

For the first time in history, SBU special forces shot down a Russian Mi-28 helicopter using an FPV drone. Уражение херотольота occurred over the Kursk Oblast of the Russian Federation. Дрон влучив у задний гвнт вертольота#Kursk #Курск #Курськ #Русня #RussiaUkraineWar Курской ВС РФ Ми-28 #Russians #UkraineWillWin pic.twitter.com/ajJAndfvOt

— European Solidarity Odessa (@ESMediaOdesa) August 7, 2024

It said fighting was continuing, adding that it had already destroyed 50 armored vehicles, including seven tanks, eight armored personnel carriers, three infantry fighting vehicles, and 31 armored fighting vehicles in the area.

Sudzha is the last operational point for Russian gas exports via rivers to Europe through Ukraine. Just 60 km to the northwest is the Russian Kursk nuclear power plant.

Ukraine has not commented. Russia has sent reserves to bolster its defenses.

The fighting over Sudzha comes at a critical moment in the war: Ukraine is losing ground, and Kiev is very worried that US support could wane if Donald Trump wins the November election in the United States.

Trump has said he will end the war, so both Russia and Ukraine want to secure the strongest negotiating position on the battlefield.

Shoigu said yesterday, Tuesday, that the window for peace is closing and that the longer it takes Kiev to start talking about terms, the more expensive peace will be for the Ukrainian people.

The Battle of Kursk

Russian military bloggers reported heavy fighting, with some suggesting Ukraine had opened a new front.

“The battle will be fierce,” said Yuri Podoliaka, an influential Ukrainian-born pro-Russian military blogger. “It’s not going to end anytime soon.”

“Even if the enemy fails to make any progress (and no one can guarantee that at the moment), there will be artillery strikes and drone strikes. And in large numbers,” Podoliaka said.

Alexei Smirnov, the interim governor of Kursk Oblast, said there were rocket and drone attacks overnight, and called on citizens to protect themselves by staying away from windows.

“Due to the situation in the border regions of the region, medical services are replenishing blood supplies from donors,” Smirnov said, adding that a mobile blood donation point would be set up in Kursk, the site of the world’s largest land battle during World War II.

Both Kyiv and Moscow say their attacks do not target civilians, although civilian casualties in the war are significant.

Smirnov said a Ukrainian drone strike hit an ambulance outside the city, killing the driver and a rescuer and injuring several others.