At least about a thousand Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia near the Kursk region, west of the country, marking the largest incursion into Russian territory since the conflict began. The move has compelled Vladimir Putin to chair a Russian Security Council meeting to address the situation. Accompanied by 20 armored vehicles and 11 tanks, these Ukrainian forces pressured Moscow to take urgent measures; some reports even claim that Russian soldiers were captured and that civilians in several towns were evacuated.
During the televised meeting, the Russian president accused Ukraine of conducting indiscriminate attacks on civilians during the incursions, the most recent one occurring this Wednesday in the southwest region of Kursk, near the border. He stated that Kyiv’s regime had launched another large-scale provocation, firing indiscriminately with missiles at civilian buildings, homes, and ambulances. Valeri Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, later told the Tass news agency that units from the Northern Group of Forces, alongside border authorities of the Federal Security Service, were eliminating the enemy in areas adjacent to the Russia-Ukraine border. He promised that the operation would end with the defeat of the enemy and a return to the state border.
The attack reportedly began at 5:30 a.m. local time, with the stated aim of capturing part of the Sudzha district in Kursk, a region near a gas transit point. Russian sources say that five people died and 24 were injured during the incursion. About 200 people were evacuated, while nearly a thousand residents left the region on their own, with temporary housing centers prepared for the displaced. Some Ukrainian Telegram channels suggested that Russian troops were taken prisoner, but neither side has confirmed this. Kyiv has not issued an official public response to the incursion at this time.
Precedents of a similar nature exist. Although Russia has deployed a wide range of weapons and missiles against Ukrainian targets, Ukraine has generally refrained from counteroffensives on Russian soil, focusing for most of the conflict on strikes using drones or missiles against strategic infrastructure such as refineries, bridges, and power plants to disrupt the enemy’s capabilities in response to attacks on Ukrainian cities and positions.
The incursions reflect a pattern where hostile forces breach Russian territory not primarily to seize and hold land but to create chaos and signal resistance. The first such episode occurred in May 2023 in the Belgorod region, the area closest to the border believed by many to suffer the harshest impact. That incident involved militants from various factions entering Russia from Ukrainian-held positions, aiming to send a message that Russians opposed to the current regime are willing to act. Kyiv did not control these forces, and the troops were pushed back by Russian forces. Months later, in March 2023, a renewed attempt in Kursk led to the temporary seizure of a village near the frontier, Tetkino, highlighting the volatility of the border area.