Russia claims to be battling Ukrainian incursion in Kursk

Russia claims to be fightingUkrainian forces following cross-border raids in the Kursk region near a major natural gas transmission hub, though Kyiv hasstayed silent on the reported events.

Russia's Defence Ministry says an attack beganTuesdayand continued into Wednesday evening, with Ukrainian forcespushing to the northwest ofSudzha, a border town more than 500 kilometres from Moscow.

Sudzha isthe last operational trans-shipping point for Russian natural gas to Europe via Ukraine.

The acting governor of Kursk region, Alexey Smirnov, said he had introduced a state of emergency in the region.Regional officials said that meant restricting access to specific areas.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the events in Kurskamounted toa "large-scale provocation," while his officials stated their forces were fighting off the attacks.

The Associated Press said the claims from Russia could not immediately be verified.

Later Wednesday, however, the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think-tank, reported that Ukraine had made "confirmed advances" of up to 10 kilometres beyond the Ukrainian border into the Kursk region.

Previous incursions

In his nightly video address,Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyymade no reference to the attack, while exhorting Kyiv's soldiers to press on and weaken Russian forces.

Ukraine's General Staff also made no acknowledgement in its daily battlefield update.In a late evening report, it said fighting had intensified in theSumy region across the border from Russia's Kursk region.

The General Staff said Russian forces had deployed aircraft, helicopters and heavy weapons in the area, "but made no headway and suffered significant losses."

In Washington,John Kirby, the White House's national security spokesperson, declined to comment on the reportsand said the Biden administration has reached out to the Ukrainians to better understand what happened.

U.S. claims no advance knowledge of events

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States was seeking an understanding from Ukraine of the incursion, and said it had had no advance knowledge of it.

The Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said on Telegram that U.S. statements on the Ukrainian action were "outrageous ... not a word criticizing their clients, not a regret about the victims of the tragedy."

At the United Nations in New York, deputy UNspokesperson Farhan Haq said developmentsin theKursk region ran the risk of creating "an alarming escalation of the crisis, and we want to see the situation de-escalated as much as possible."

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Russian forces have swiftly repelled previous cross-border incursions, but not before they caused damage and embarrassed authorities.

Responsibility for previous incursions into Russia's Belgorod and Bryansk regions has been claimed by two murky groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, which are made up of Russian citizens and have fought alongside Ukrainian forces.

Ukraine's grinding fight

Russia launched its all-out war with Ukraine in February 2022. Nearly 30 months later, it appears to have no end in sight.

As of late last month, the UN estimates thewar has killed at least 11,430 civilians within Ukraine's borders and injured more than 23,000 others. But the true totals are believed to be significantly higher.

In February, Zelenskyy said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers haddied in the conflict. Some external estimatessuggest Ukrainehas lost more people than it haspublicly admitted.

Ukraine has faced many challenges while trying to repel the Russian invaders from its lands a task that is far from over and which has not gotten any easier for Kyiv during the third year of the war.

Aid from Washingtonwas delayed for months amid infighting amongU.S.lawmakers, leaving Ukraine to cope with ammunition and supply shortages.

Russia, meanwhile, has pressed its advantage against its out-gunned neighbour: It launched an offensive in Ukraine'sKharkiv region this spring that forced Kyiv to send reinforcements and spread itself thinner across the winding front line. Russia has also used glide bombs and drones to enact devastating attacks on Ukrainian soil.

Kyiv has also struggled to source new troops to join the fight. But the Ukrainian government also took steps to address issues relating to the draft and recently reported an uptick in recruitment. Some convicts have also been allowed to serve in the military.

Ukraine recently welcomedthe delivery of a small number of F-16 fighter jets a long-awaited development for Kyiv. Overall, ithas been promised dozens of F-16s to be provided by a handful of Western allies.

Looking ahead, Kyiv is having to consider the implications ofa coming change in the White House. U.S. President Joe Biden has been a strong supporter of Ukraine's fight with Russia, but his exit from the presidential ballot means the Oval Office will have a new inhabitant next year.

Former U.S. president Donald Trump is vying to return to the presidencyas the Republican nominee. He's up against U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, who has served in the Biden administration that has so far provided tens of billions of dollars of support for Ukraine.

Trumphas said he would end the war, and both Russia and Ukraine are keen to gain the strongest possible bargaining position on the battlefield. Ukraine wants to pin down Russian forces and show the West it can still mount major battles.