Belgorod Oblast incursions

Since Tuesday morning, there has been intense activity around Belgorod, near Russia’s southern border with Ukraine. Russian Telegram channels, citing their security service connections, report that Ukrainian forces are attempting an incursion, having already attacked a border station in the area.

The Ukrainian military claims to have shot down a Russian fighter jet in Kursk, Russia, according to Ukrainian media reports. Kyiv also claims that since the start of operations on Russian soil, it has captured 100 prisoners of war.

Ukraine on Wednesday pressed its surprise offensive in Russian territory and bombarded the neighbouring border region of Belgorod, where the governor has declared a state of emergency.

Ukrainian forces entered Kursk region last Tuesday and have taken dozens of settlements in the biggest attack by a foreign army on Russian soil since World War II.

Ukraine launched drone attacks on two Russian regions, targeting defense lines as its infantry pushed to seize more territory in what is considered the largest offensive against Russia since the war began.

Two Russian regions bordering Ukraine ordered more evacuations on Monday as Moscow battled to contain an unprecedented push onto its territory.

Ukraine sent troops into Russia last week in its biggest cross-border operation since Moscow launched its invasion in February 2022 and the most significant by a foreign army since World War II.

Ukrainian aerial attacks killed a woman in the Russian border region of Belgorod and a man in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, officials announced Tuesday.

In response to continued shelling in the border villages of the Belgorod region, Russian authorities have initiated evacuation measures to ensure the safety of residents, particularly children.

Fresh strikes Saturday in the Russian border region of Belgorod adjoining Ukraine killed two people, the regional governor said, as Moscow accused Kyiv of stepping up attacks during the ongoing presidential election.

"Very sad news, two people died, a man and a woman," said Vyacheslav Gladkov on Telegram, adding that eight rockets had been downed by Russian forces in the region.

Belgorod, a regional center near the Ukrainian border, was struck by a series of explosions following a warning issued by the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion. The threat of bombardment became a reality, sending shockwaves through the city and leaving devastation in its wake.

Border towns in the Kursk and Belgorod regions have become battlegrounds, with conflicting reports emerging from the frontlines.