Russian official: Ukrainian soldiers enter Belovsky district overnight

Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups entered the Belovsky district in Russia's Kursk region on the night of August 11, said district head Nikolai Volobuev.

The Ukrainian military began invading the border on August 6. Kyiv has so far remained silent on the incident, although fighting continues and Ukraine is advancing deeper into Russian territory.

According to Volobuev, the group's appearance in Belovsky district caused “great panic”. He described the current situation as “stable, but very tense”.

Belovsky District is located about 20 kilometers from Sudzha, a city in Kursk Region, and less than 10 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Ukrainian troops released video footage on August 9 claiming to be on the outskirts of Sudzha.

“Today we do not understand some moments in the border areas,” Volobuev said in his video address on Telegram.

Alexey Smirnov, acting governor of the Kursk region, claimed that there were no clashes in Belovsky and Oboyansky districts on the morning of August 11.

“Border officials and military are protecting the border,” he added.

The Kyiv Independent could not confirm these claims.

Russian anti-Kremlin groups fighting for Ukraine and Ukrainian military intelligence have already entered Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, but have not been able to hold these territories for long. This is the first time regular Ukrainian forces have entered Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 10 that Ukrainian forces had begun “expanding the war into the territory of the aggressor,” publicly admitting for the first time that Ukraine had crossed the border into the Kursk region.

The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry also announced on August 9 that the situation in the Kursk region had been declared a “federal emergency” and began sending additional military equipment to the region.

Ukrainian media reported on August 10 that Ukrainian troops apparently entered the village of Poroz in Russia's Belgorod region, three kilometers from the Ukrainian border.