Russia's Defense Ministry claimed Tuesday that hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers backed by tanks and armored vehicles attacked Russia's southern Kursk region and that Russian forces responded. Ukrainian forces had no comment on the report.
"The enemy today launched another attempt to break into the territory of Russia's Kursk region," the latest ministry statement said. "Artillery fire, army aviation strikes and drone strikes are being inflicted on the enemy."
Alexei Smirnov, acting governor of Kursk, said five people were killed, according to Reuters, and at least 20 were wounded, including six children.
According to the Russians, 300 Ukrainian troops with 11 tanks and 20 armored vehicles attacked the border in the area of Nikolayevo-Daryino and Oleshnya.
The Russian claims could not be independently verified.
Previously, two groups have claimed responsibility for similar attacks in different parts of Russia: The Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion. Both groups were contacted by The Associated Press and had no comment.
Meanwhile, Russian forces carried out aerial attacks on multiple parts of Ukraine, officials said earlier Tuesday, including hitting the northeastern city of Kharkiv with a missile.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his daily evening address that one person was killed and 12 people were injured in the attack on Kharkiv. He said a rescue operation in Kharkiv is "still underway" and "people are under the rubble."
"We will certainly respond to Russia," the president said. "Russian terror will inevitably be punished."
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram the strike damaged a medical clinic and that authorities were working to clarify information about any casualties.
Serhiy Lysak, governor of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, said on Telegram that Russian drones attacked the city of Nikopol on Tuesday, causing several fires but no injuries.
Russian drones also damaged homes in several villages in the Mykolaiv region, Governor Vitaliy Kim said.
Ukraine's military said its air defenses shot down four Russian missiles and 15 aerial drones overnight, with intercepts taking place over the Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kyiv and Mykolaiv regions.
Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported on Telegram that falling debris from a downed missile damaged a car park and caused no injuries.
Some information for this story was provided by Reuters and The Associated Press.
