Ukrainian tanks launch largest attack on Russian mainland since war began

On Tuesday, Ukraine reportedly executed its largest attack since the war began, targeting southwestern Russia, a border area with Ukraine. Analysts suggest that Ukraine, recently on the defensive on the Eastern Front, is making a significant effort to change the course of the conflict. The Russian side claimed, "We were attacked by Ukraine but have already repelled it."

According to the British Financial Times (FT), the Russian Ministry of Defense announced at around 8 a.m. that “Ukrainian forces attacked border units near the Nikolayevo-Darino and Oleshnya regions of Kursk Oblast where Russian border guards were stationed, and the Russian army repelled them.”

The attack is considered one of the largest ground offensives by Ukraine directly targeting Russian territory since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that Ukraine mobilized 11 tanks and 20 combat vehicles for ground combat. Reuters reported that “Ukraine has periodically launched missile and drone attacks on Russia, but territorial attacks involving ground forces are very rare.”

“Russian forces have repelled Ukrainian ground attacks, but Kursk is under massive drone and missile attacks,” Acting Kursk Governor Alexei Smirnov said on social media. “The situation is controllable, let’s maintain composure.” Kursk authorities reported that five people were killed and more than 20 were injured in the attacks.

Meanwhile, a well-known Russian military blogger refuted the Russian army’s claim of repelling the attacks early on Wednesday, stating that “the situation in the Kursk region is still difficult” and that “Ukrainian forces have held their positions along the border despite concentrated counterattacks by the Russian army.”

Ukraine has not commented on the attacks. However, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, wrote on social media that “it is a lie that Russia can control the situation in the region.”


김보라 기자 purple@donga.com