A Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group attempted to enter the Klimovsky district of Russia's Bryansk Oblast on Aug. 21, Governor Alexander Bogomaz claimed.
Earlier in the day, Russian Telegram channels spread contradicting information about alleged clashes near the border of Bryansk Oblast. The pro-Kremlin Mash Telegram channel claimed that the group consisted of about 200 Ukrainian soldiers, which could not be independently confirmed.
Bryansk Oblast lies west of embattled Kursk Oblast, north of Ukraine's Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts, and east of the Belarusian border.
According to Bogomaz, Russian forces "prevented" the attack on the region and "inflicted a military defeat" on Ukrainian soldiers.
The Russian governor claims that the situation in Bryansk Oblast was "stabilized" and is "under control."
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims. The Ukrainian military did not comment on the reports.
As Kyiv's incursion in Kursk Oblast entered its third week, Moscow announced on Aug. 20 that it would establish troop groups in Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts to defend settlements along the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Ukraine had advanced between 28-35 kilometers (18-21 miles) into Kursk Oblast since the start of the operation on Aug. 6. According to the general, Ukraine has captured 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Russian territory and 93 settlements.
The Economist reported, citing military sources, that Syrskyi was considering an attack against Russia's Bryansk Oblast as an alternative to the Kursk incursion.
Oleg Sukhov
