KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of Russia’s Kursk border region on Wednesday urged local residents to donate blood amid blurry reports of an incursion by combatants from Ukraine.
Alexei Smirnov, Kursk’s acting governor, said on Telegram that blood banks were stocking up because of the fighting.
“In the last 24 hours, our region has been heroically resisting attacks” by Ukrainian fighters, Smirnov wrote, adding that all emergency services were on high alert.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday up to 300 Ukrainian troops, supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored combat vehicles, had crossed into Russia. It said that the force had suffered heavy losses, without making any additional comments on Wednesday.
There was no independent evidence that Ukrainian troops were involved in the assault. Kyiv officials declined to comment.
Responsibility for previous incursions, into Russia’s Belgorod and Bryansk regions, have been claimed by two murky groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion.
Disinformation and propaganda have played a central role in the war, now in its third year.
Some Russian war bloggers who have proved knowledgeable about the war said that Ukrainian soldiers were in Kursk.
Rybar, a Telegram channel ran by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a retired Russian Defense Ministry press officer, said that Ukrainian troops had seized three settlements in the region and continued to fight their way deeper into it.
Another pro-Kremlin military blog, Two Majors, claimed that Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 15 kilometers (10 miles) into the region.
Neither of the claims could be independently verified.
Russian forces have swiftly repelled previous cross-border incursions, but not before they caused damage and embarrassed authorities.
The Kursk region’s border with Ukraine is 245 kilometers (150 miles) long, making it possible for saboteur groups to launch swift incursions and capture some ground before Russia deploys reinforcements.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
