Moscow [Russia], August 9: Russia's Defense Ministry said its troops were still fighting Ukrainian units in Russia's Kursk region on August 8 , more than 48 hours after Kyiv launched a major cross-border offensive.
The statement said troops "continue to destroy armed Ukrainian military units" with air, rocket and artillery strikes targeting troops that have entered two border districts.
Accordingly, Russian Su-34 bombers destroyed Ukrainian armored vehicles and soldiers with FAB-500 glide bombs.
"Teams of Su-34 multi-role supersonic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out air-launched weapons strikes on military equipment of Ukrainian military units. The strikes were carried out with FAB-500 bombs with a glide/steer module, which allows for precision strikes from a safe distance from the line of fire," TASS quoted the statement as saying.
The Russian Defense Ministry added on August 8 that the Northern Operational Group and Russian border guard units had prevented the Ukrainian army's offensive and breakthrough in the Sudzha and Korenevo districts of the Kursk region over the past 24 hours.
According to Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, Russia needs to learn lessons from the actions of the Ukrainian army in the border area and "resolutely crush" the enemy.
Statement of Ukraine
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it had captured several Russian soldiers in the Kursk region, including conscripts and contract soldiers, according to Ukraine's Khochu Naytin project.
This humanitarian project was launched by Ukraine in January by the Ukrainian military intelligence to provide information on Russian soldiers captured in Ukraine.
"There are also reports of dead men whose bodies were not taken away by their comrades during the retreat," the project said in a statement. It also showed drone footage of 32 captured Russian soldiers, adding that eight more did not fit in the frame.
Regarding the sending of forces to attack Russian territory, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Russia's actions are the reason for any escalation.
"The root cause of all escalation, shelling, military action, forced evacuation and destruction of normal life, including in (Russian) territory such as the Kursk and Belgorod regions, is solely the actions... of Russia," he wrote on the social network X.
Besides, he said that any Ukrainian operation in "Russian border areas" would have an impact on Russian society and improve Kyiv's position in future peace talks with Moscow.
Echoing Mr Zelensky's views, Mr Podolyak stressed that Ukraine must enter any dialogue with Russia from a position of strength.
Russian shelling in Donetsk
Reuters news agency reported that at least two people were killed on August 8 when Russian soldiers shelled the town of Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region .
Donetsk Governor Vadym Filashkin said the attack hit a residential area in the town in the morning.
Ukrainian-held areas of the Donetsk region are regularly bombarded by Russian artillery and air strikes. Russian forces control much of the region, which Moscow unilaterally claims along with four other Ukrainian regions as its own.
Donetsk remains one of the hottest areas of fighting as Russia targets the strategic logistics hub east of the town of Pokrovsk. At least four people were killed in Russian shelling of Donetsk on August 7.
Russia has not immediately commented on the information.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
