Russia takes action over ‘direct’ US role in Kursk incursion
The US charge d’affaires in Moscow, Stephanie Holmes, has been summoned to Russia’s Foreign Ministry. The diplomat was issued a demarche over the involvement of an American private military company (PMC) in Kiev’s incursion into Kursk Region and the “provocative acts” of American journalists who illegally entered Russian territory to cover the cross-border attack.
The PMC, called the Forward Observation Group, had previously posted a photo of its members dressed in military gear and holding weapons on Instagram, claiming that they are taking part in Kiev’s attack on the Russian border region. The three soldiers in the picture are seen wearing blue armbands, commonly worn by Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
According to a press release published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Tuesday, this evidence “contradicts” claims by the administration of President Joe Biden that the US is not involved in the “attacks by Ukrainian neo-Nazis on Russia.”
The ministry added that these actions “clearly demonstrate the United States’ role as a direct participant in the conflict and its complicity in Vladimir Zelensky’s malicious plans.”
Moscow also objected to the presence of American journalists on Russian soil who have been reporting on Kiev’s cross-border operation, stating that they “illegally entered into Kursk Region to provide propaganda coverage of the crimes committed by the Kiev regime.”
It was “particularly emphasized that US citizens involved in these crimes will face necessary investigative actions by the competent agencies in accordance with the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to ensure they are held accountable,” the ministry added.
“All foreign ‘specialists’ or mercenaries who illegally cross the Russian border will automatically be considered legitimate military targets for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” Holmes was warned, according to the press release.
Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk Region, the largest cross-border incursion into internationally recognized Russian territory so far in the conflict, began earlier this month with some initial gains. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has since claimed that the Ukrainian advance has been halted and estimated Kiev’s losses at more than 4,100 troops.
