On Tuesday, Russia announced that it had successfully thwarted five additional attempts by Ukrainian forces to breach its border in the Kursk region, raising the total number of reported incursions to 26 within the last six days.

On August 6, Ukraine initiated its largest foreign offensive against Russia since World War II, penetrating the Kursk area with thousands of troops, bolstered by numerous drones and heavy weaponry, including arms supplied by Western nations.

Following the deployment of tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in 2022, Russia launched a significant counteroffensive against Ukrainian forces in Kursk on September 10, driving Kyiv’s troops back towards the Snagost River. However, for approximately a week, Ukrainian forces have been attempting to breach the Russian border near Veseloe and Medvezhe, aiming to undermine the Russian counteroffensive located about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) west of the primary conflict zone in Kursk.

According to a statement from Russia’s defense ministry, five attempts by Ukrainian armed forces to breach the border of the Russian Federation near Veseloe and Medvezhe were thwarted with the assistance of army aviation and artillery fire. The ministry reported that Russian troops were conducting offensives in Lyubimovka, Malaya Loknya, and several other locations within Kursk.

Military bloggers from Russia noted that Ukraine had gained some ground towards Veseloe and Medvezhe, while asserting that Russian forces were reclaiming territory and launching assaults on Lyubimovka.

The incursion into Kursk by Ukraine has been a source of embarrassment for Russia’s military leadership, highlighting vulnerabilities in border defenses. However, President Vladimir Putin contends that this incursion has enabled Russia to expedite its own operations in eastern Ukraine.

Open-source maps and data indicate that Russian forces have been expanding their territory in eastern Ukraine at the fastest rate seen in approximately two years, with Russian troops encircling the town of Ukrainsk.

The conflict in Ukraine is reaching its most perilous stage thus far, as Ukraine requests key NATO allies to authorize strikes deep within Russian territory using Western missiles.