Russian Foreign Ministry Responds to Ukraine's Incursion in Kursk Region: Tensions Escalate

According to SAEDNEWS, Early on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military initiated a significant raid into Russia’s Kursk Region, breaching the border at multiple points. This attack was primarily concentrated on the town of Sudzha, which is situated approximately 9 kilometers from the border.

Sudzha, the administrative center of its district, has faced relentless and indiscriminate artillery and drone strikes, significantly impacting the lives of its residents.

According to Russian military estimates, as many as 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers participated in this operation. The attacking forces employed dozens of heavy military hardware, including various types of tanks and U.S.-made Stryker armored personnel carriers, alongside other armored vehicles and equipment.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the raid, characterizing Ukraine’s attack on the Kursk Region as a 'semblance of activity' amid ongoing failures. Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated, “The Kiev regime is attacking the Kursk Region in a bid to show a semblance of activity amid constant failures of its forces in the area of the conflict.”

She continued, “With their barbaric attack in the Kursk Region, Ukrainian Banderites tried to sow panic among residents of the region and demonstrate at least some semblance of activity amid constant failures of the Ukrainian forces in the conflict area. Obviously, expectations by neo-Nazis failed to come true there as well.”

Zakharova indicated that the Ukrainian forces struck Sudzha overnight on August 6, and from August 6-7, they carried out a substantial terrorist attack on the Kursk Region with considerable infantry and heavy armored vehicles. She claimed that the Russian armed forces provided a decisive pushback against the attackers, who reportedly suffered significant losses.

The repercussions of the attack were severe. “Shelling by Ukrainian militants left 24 civilians in the Kursk Region, including six children, injured. A drone strike on an ambulance killed a paramedic and the driver,” reported Zakharova.

She continued to criticize the Ukrainian government, stating, “The criminal Kiev regime continues to strike innocent residents of Russian towns and villages while it suffers setbacks on the battlefield.”

Zakharova pointed to a series of strikes carried out by Ukraine, including drone attacks on Gorlovka on July 31, Shebekino on August 1, shelling of Volnovakha with MLRS on August 2, and a massive strike on Lugansk using NATO-provided ATACMS and Storm Shadow long-range missiles.

“All these bloody crimes are taking place amid cynical silence in the West, which continues to cover for its Kiev puppets. All this only reinforces the sense of impunity of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, who are confident that they can get away with any atrocity," she said, urging the international community to condemn the actions of the Kiev regime: "We call on the international community not to stand aside and to strongly condemn the criminal actions of the Kiev regime."

Zakharova warned, “None of the criminals will be able to escape punishment. They will answer to the full extent of the law.” She mentioned that the Russian Investigative Committee has been gathering evidence and that Russian courts are continuing to pass sentences on Ukrainian neo-Nazis for crimes against civilians.

In another commentary, she remarked on Ukraine’s recent presentation of F-16 fighter jets provided by NATO allies. “On August 4, Ukraine hosted a pompous presentation of F-16 fighter jets that had been handed over by NATO countries, and Vladimir Zelensky thanked the NATO sponsors for the delivery.” According to Zakharova, the first 10 jets arrived in Ukraine at the end of July, with the total potentially reaching 79 and expected to increase to 20 by the end of the year, with deliveries continuing into 2025.

However, she dismissed the potential impact of these new aircraft, stating, “Deliveries of F-16 fighter jets to the Ukrainian military will not be the 'magic pill' that Kiev is counting on so much. They will not be able to influence the situation on the battlefield and will be consistently destroyed by the Russian Armed Forces.”

She emphasized that this move aligns with Western policies that escalate the ongoing crisis in Ukraine rather than promote peaceful resolution: “The US and its satellites, by inundating the Kiev regime with ever more deadly weapons, are betting on the continuation of hostilities at any cost. It is obvious that Washington and London have been carried away by dreams of inflicting a 'strategic defeat' on Russia and do not think about the consequences of their reckless actions.”