Ukrainian troops killed two civilians in a missile strike on a village in Russia’s Kursk Region last Saturday, Russian investigators have claimed.
The attack, which hit the settlement of Bolshoye Zhirovo, is being investigated as an act of terrorism, the military branch of the Russian Investigative Committee has said.
The village of some 500 residents is located in the northern part of the Russian border region, tens of kilometers away from territories seized by Kiev’s forces during their incursion in August. The investigators did not identify what weapon was used in the strike, only stating that Ukrainian military service members had fired three tactical-level projectiles at the settlement.
Kiev saw its operation in Kursk Region as a means of drawing Russian troops away from other parts of the front line, where Russia has made significant gains this year. Ukrainian officials also claim that the captured territory could serve as a bargaining chip in eventual peace talks.
Since the incursion began Ukrainian forces have suffered more than 35,700 casualties, the Russian military estimates, and have reportedly lost almost half of the land that they seized in the initial push.
The situation in Kursk Region intensified last week, after the US and its allies authorized Kiev to use long-range weapons donated by the West for attacks on internationally recognized Russian territory.
Last Saturday, Ukrainian forces fired US-provided ATACMS ballistic missiles at an air-defense battery stationed a few kilometers from Bolshoye Zhirovo, according to a Russian military report.
Another ATACMS strike followed on Monday, the Defense Ministry reported on Tuesday. In both cases, some of the weapons were intercepted, but others caused damage on the ground and injured military personnel.
Moscow perceives the Western policy change as a major escalation that effectively globalizes the Ukraine conflict. The Russian military fired a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Ukrainian arms plant last week in an apparent warning to Kiev’s foreign backers. The Defense Ministry has said there will be retaliation for last week’s ATACMS strikes.