KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of the Russian border region of Kursk on Wednesday urged local residents to donate blood amid mixed reports of an incursion by fighters from Ukraine.
Alexei Smirnov, acting governor of Kursk, said on Telegram that blood banks were stockpiling because of the fighting.
“Over the last 24 hours, our region has heroically resisted attacks” by Ukrainian fighters, Smirnov wrote, adding that all emergency services were on high alert.
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that up to 300 Ukrainian soldiers, supported by 11 tanks and more than 20 armored fighting vehicles, had crossed the border into Russia. It said the force suffered heavy losses, without commenting further Wednesday.
There was no independent evidence that Ukrainian troops were involved in the attack. Kyiv officials declined to comment.
Responsibility for previous raidsin the Russian regions of Belgorod and Bryansk were claimed by two shadowy groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion.
Disinformation and propaganda played a central role in the war, now in its third year.
Some Russian war bloggers who demonstrated knowledge of the war said that Ukrainian soldiers were in Kursk.
Rybar, a Telegram channel run by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a retired Russian Defense Ministry press officer, said Ukrainian troops had seized three settlements in the region and continued to push their way deeper.
Another pro-Kremlin military blog, Two Majors, claimed that Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 15 kilometers (10 miles) into the region.
Neither claim could be independently verified.
Russian forces quickly repelled previous cross-border incursions, but not before causing damage and embarrassing authorities.
The Kursk region’s border with Ukraine is 245 kilometers (150 miles) long, allowing groups of saboteurs to launch quick raids and capture some ground before Russia sends reinforcements.
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