KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces have attacked a second border region in western Russia, according to the Russian governor of the territory, who declared a state of emergency Wednesday.
The governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Ukrainian troops were firing artillery shells and carrying out drone attacks on the Russian side of the border. He described the situation as "extremely difficult and tense" in a post on his Telegram channel, where he also announced the state of emergency for the entire Belgorod region.
Russian civilians suffered casualties, he added, without providing figures.
Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement that it shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones and four missiles in Belgorod and several other Russian regions in attacks overnight that appeared to be targeting Russian air bases.
Belgorod is adjacent to the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces carried out a surprise invasion last week and still hold a large chunk of Russian territory.
Ukraine has carried out cross-border attacks previously in Belgorod, including in recent months. The Ukrainians have fired on the territory in an attempt to blunt a Russian offensive directed at Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, which is just 20 miles from the border. For now, at least, the Ukrainians have blocked the Russians from advancing on the city.
Still, the latest Ukrainian attack carried a greater sense of urgency given the Ukrainian operation in Kursk, now in it's ninth day.
There were no reports that Ukrainian ground troops had entered Belgorod. Ukraine's government and military offered no immediate comment on the latest developments.
Ukraine says operation in Russia is progressing
Meanwhile, Ukraine's top military commander, Oleksandr Syrskyi, offered an upbeat assessment of the Ukrainian operation in Kursk when he spoke by video link with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday.
The commander said Ukrainian forces were continuing to make advances and had captured a large number of Russian troops. He claimed Ukraine now controls 74 villages and towns in the Kursk region and holds about 400 square miles of Russian territory.
"There are battles across the front line," Syrskyi told the president.
A day earlier, the acting Russian governor of Kursk acknowledged that Russia had lost control of 28 villages and towns, and that the Ukrainian forces had taken over an area in the border region about 25 miles wide and seven miles deep. He also said more than 100,000 Russian civilians have fled the area.
While the various figures could not be independently verified, they reflected the substantial size of the Ukrainian operation, which is believed to include thousands of troops from multiple brigades. Ukraine has sent tanks and other armored vehicles into Russia, as well as air defenses and electronic warfare equipment, according to military analysts.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said, "hundreds of Russian soldiers have already surrendered, and all of them will receive humane treatment. They did not have such treatment even in their own Russian army."
Ukraine hints, but does not spell out its objective
Ukraine has not explicitly stated its military objective with the operation inside Russia. But Zelenskyy and other officials have indicated the goal is not to hold on to Russian territory for an extended period.
They are suggesting that Ukraine wants to draw Russian troops to the Kursk region in hopes this will ease pressure on Ukrainian forces struggling to hold their ground in the main battlefront, in eastern Ukraine. Russia has been making incremental gains in the Donbas region, where they have more troops and more firepower than the Ukrainians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said it's a priority for Russia to take back its territory in Kursk, and Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday it was sending more troops, as well as additional aircraft and artillery, toward the Kursk region. Russia appears to be preparing for a large counter-attack, but it's response so far has been limited.
There's no concrete evidence Russia is drawing on forces currently fighting in eastern Ukraine. However, a number of media reports say the Russians have pulled a limited number of fighters from southern Ukraine to send to the Kursk region.
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