Russia reports fierce battles against invading Ukrainian forces

Russia’s troops are trying to repel an incursion by Ukrainian forces for a second day, Moscow says.

Russia reports that fighting is continuing for a second day in the country’s Kursk border region following an incursion by Ukrainian forces.

The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that its troops had prevented the pro-Kyiv forces from advancing deep into the country, while reporting it repelled aerial attacks overnight. Ukraine has not confirmed the assault on the southwestern Russian region, which sits on the border between the pair.

“Air strikes, missile forces, artillery fire and active actions of units covering the state border … in the Kursk direction prevented the enemy from advancing deep into the territory of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.

It added that, with the fighting continuing, 50 Ukrainian armoured vehicles, including seven tanks, eight armoured personnel carriers, three infantry fighting vehicles and 31 armoured combat vehicles, had been destroyed.

Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said on Wednesday there were reports suggesting that the Ukrainians had occupied several settlements in the Kursk region.