Putin accuses Ukraine of carrying-out ‘provocation’ at Russian border

Russia President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Wednesday of carrying out “yet another large-scale provocation” at the Russian border.

“As you know, the Kiev regime has undertaken yet another large-scale provocation, delivering indiscriminate fire from various types of weapons, including missiles, at civilian buildings, residential houses, ambulances,” he said in comments released by the Kremlin on the Telegram social media platform.

The comment comes after Russia’s defense ministry on Tuesday claimed that 300 Ukrainian “militants” had launched a cross-border attack into the Russian region of Kursk, using tanks and armored vehicles.

The Russian defense ministry said on Wednesday that its forces and Russian border authorities “have been destroying armed formations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the last night in Kursk region’s areas immediately adjacent to the Russian–Ukrainian border.”

“Air and missile strikes, artillery fire as well as units of the State Border Covering Force prevented the enemy from advancing deep into the territory of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.

In a Google-translated update on Telegram, Kursk’s Acting Governor Alexey Smirnov saidTuesday that two people had died and that 13 others were injured, in what he described as “massive shelling” of the region by Ukraine, particularly focused around the city of Sudzha.

CNBC was unable to verify the claims and Ukraine has not publicly commented on the attacks. CNBC has reached out to Ukraine’s defense ministry for comment.

President Putin stated Thursday that he would meet with security chiefs and defense and law enforcement agencies to discuss the situation in Kursk, adding that he would also meet members of the defense ministry and FSB security service’s border agency.