Ukrainian soldiers launched a surprise incursion into western Russia and successfully tested its weak border defences which may deal a blow to its natural gas supplies to Europe.
Hundreds of Ukrainian servicemen backed by armoured vehicles, artillery and drones entered the Kursk region on Tuesday, according to Russian officials, Ukrainian servicemen and media reports.
As reported by Al Jazeera, on Tuesday morning, Ukrainian forces fought through the border and approached Sudzha, a sleepy town of 5,000 people.
Sudzha is important as the location of the only pumping station that delivers Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine.
The Kursk nuclear power station, one of the world’s oldest, is located in the town of Kurchatov, about 70km east of Sudzha.
Ukrainian drones have been spotted in Kurchatov, and some analysts said Kyiv wants to destabilise the Russian energy system the way Moscow has targeted Ukrainian power stations and its energy grid.
By Wednesday afternoon, Ukrainians surrounded Sudzha, seized three villages and were spotted near 10 more, according to Russian officials and media.
Kursk acting Governor Aleksey Smirnov wrote on Telegram on Wednesday that at least three civilians – two drivers and a woman – have been killed, and 24 have been wounded, including six children.
President Vladimir Putin called the raid a “full-scale provocation by the Kyiv regime” and accused Ukrainian soldiers of indiscriminately firing at residential areas and civilians.
The Ministry of Defence in Moscow claimed on Wednesday that Ukrainians lost up to 260 servicemen, seven tanks and 42 armoured vehicles, two air defence vehicles and a radio jamming station.
According to Deep State, a Ukrainian Telegram channel known for verified reports, on Wednesday said that Ukrainian forces killed a group of Russian servicemen holed up in a walled Orthodox monastery, shot down a Ka-52 helicopter and destroyed two tanks.
On Friday, Russia’s defence ministry said its troops “continue to repel” Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region.
A Russian official also said that fighting is ongoing “several dozen kilometres” from Kurchatov, where a nuclear power plant is located.
Meanwhile, at least two people died on Friday following a Russian attack on a supermarket in the city of Kostiantynivka, injuring seven people, according to reports. The city lies in the Donetsk Oblast.
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