State of emergency in the Russian Kursk region, as Ukraine incursion continues
Russian authorities have declared a state of emergency in the Kursk region amid the border attack by Ukrainian troops in the biggest incursion into Russian territory since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. According to Russian officials, at least 5 civilians have been killed and 31 injured. President Vladimir Putin has accused Ukraine of launching a major provocation and indiscriminately bombing civilian targets.
According to Moscow, up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, with 11 tanks and more than 20 armored vehicles, entered Russia on Tuesday morning near the city of Sudja. It is the only transit point for Russian gas to Western Europe.
Ukraine has not officially commented, and the depth of the incursion remains unclear. Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Honcearenko said last night that the Ukrainian army would have taken control of the gas transit facility in Sudja.
A White House spokesman said the United States had not been informed in advance of the Ukrainian attack and planned to contact Kiev to learn more about its goals.