UPDATE - Russian Defense Ministry says fighting in Kursk region persists

UPDATES WITH FRESH STATEMENT BY RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Moscow announced on Friday that fighting with Ukrainian troops in Russia's Kursk region is ongoing but did not comment on Kyiv's claims of taking control of the town of Sudzha.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that units of the Sever (North) group of forces continue to push Ukraine's armed formations out of Russian territory.

"Strikes by army aviation, drones, and artillery fire targeted concentrations of Ukrainian manpower and equipment, specifically two mechanized units, assault brigades of the armed forces of Ukraine, and a National Guard brigade. Attempts to bring in reinforcements were also thwarted," the statement read.

Ukraine's forces tried to break through Russia's defense in the direction of the Russkoye Porechnoye, prevented border crossing by a storm group near the settlement of Gordeyevka, stopped groups, which tried to advance deep into the Russian territory near the settlements of Anastasyevka and Kauchuk, the ministry also noted.

In the areas of the settlements of Yunakovka and Miropole, high-precision missile strikes destroyed three launchers of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, two transport-loading vehicles and two escort vehicles, it said.

According to the ministry, the Ukrainian troops suffered heavy losses in manpower and military equipment.

The ministry also claimed that Russian forces had taken control of another Ukrainian settlement -- Serhiivka, in the Donetsk region -- following an operation conducted by the Tsentr (Center) group of forces.

In addition, the ministry reported that Ukraine had attempted a large-scale attack on the Kerch Bridge, which connects the Crimean Peninsula to mainland Russia, using 12 US-made ATACMS missiles.

Over the past week, Russian aviation and missile forces carried out 17 coordinated strikes with high-precision weapons and drones on Ukrainian military-industrial facilities, airfield infrastructure, and sites for assembling and storing attack drones, the statement added.

"Since the beginning of the special military operation, a total of 638 aircraft, 279 helicopters, 30,050 drones, 569 anti-aircraft missile systems, 17,307 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,406 multiple rocket launchers, 13,295 field artillery and mortars, and 24,833 special military vehicles have been destroyed," the ministry claimed.

Kyiv's incursion into Russia's Kursk region began on the night of Aug. 5-6 when Ukrainian forces entered near Sudzha. On Aug. 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operation but did not elaborate on its objectives.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that around 9,500 people had been evacuated from the combat zone.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incursion as a "terrorist attack."

Independent verification of claims from both sides remains difficult due to the ongoing conflict.