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Russian forces thwart attempted cross-border assault from Ukraine, official says

‘Armed group’ sought to breach the border between Ukraine and Russia’s Bryansk region, governor says

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A Russian soldier aims from a bunker in the Russian-Ukrainian border area in ​​the Kursk region, Russia. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP

Russian forces thwarted an attempt at another cross-border incursion by Ukraine into southwestern Russia, a local official reported Sunday, months after Kyiv staged a bold assault on its nuclear-armed enemy that Moscow is still struggling to halt.

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An “armed group” sought Sunday to breach the border between Ukraine and Russia’s Bryansk region, its governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, said but was beaten back. Bogomaz did not clarify whether Ukrainian soldiers carried out the alleged attack, but claimed on Sunday evening that the situation was “stable and under control” by the Russian military.

There was no immediate acknowledgement or response from Ukrainian officials.

The region neighbours Kursk province, where Ukraine launched a surprise push on August 6 that rattled the Kremlin and constituted the largest attack on Russia since World War II.

Russian soldiers patrol a village in the Russian-Ukrainian border area in the Kursk region, Russia. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP
Russian soldiers patrol a village in the Russian-Ukrainian border area in the Kursk region, Russia. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP

Hundreds of Russian prisoners were blindfolded and ferried away in trucks in the opening moments of the lightning advance, and Ukraine’s battle-hardened units swiftly pressed on across hundreds of square kilometres of territory.

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