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Over three consecutive days in July, Kursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein reported that Ukrainian forces carried out artillery and drone attacks on the region, with the number of shelling incidents and downed drones varying across his statements. The reports, carried by TASS, describe injuries to civilians and damage to buildings and vehicles, while the latest account mentioned no fatalities.

Coverage comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, published three separate reports based on Khinshtein's updates on the Max social network. The reports cover different 24-hour periods and present differing figures for the intensity of the attacks.

In a report dated July 7, Khinshtein said that between 9 a.m. on July 6 and 9 a.m. on July 7, Ukrainian forces fired artillery at evacuated areas 56 times, and 159 drones were shot down, 78 of them fixed-wing. He added that drones attacked with explosive devices 11 times.

The next day, July 8, the governor reported that between 9 a.m. on July 7 and 9 a.m. on July 8, Ukrainian forces shelled border areas 70 times, and 136 drones were shot down. He said drones carrying explosive devices attacked 13 times, and reported no fatalities.

A later report, dated July 19, stated that between 9 a.m. on July 18 and 9 a.m. on July 19, Ukrainian armed forces shelled evacuated areas with artillery 26 times, and 120 drones were shot down. The governor again mentioned 11 drone attacks with explosive devices. The reports do not reconcile why the numbers differ, but they refer to distinct time windows.

Key claims

  • On July 6-7, Khinshtein reported 56 artillery strikes on evacuated areas, 159 drones shot down (78 fixed-wing), and 11 drone attacks with explosive devices.
  • On July 7-8, he reported 70 artillery strikes on border areas, 136 drones shot down, 13 drone attacks with explosive devices, and no fatalities.
  • On July 18-19, he reported 26 artillery strikes on evacuated areas, 120 drones shot down, 11 drone attacks with explosive devices, and eight people injured.

Property damage and injuries

The July 7 report detailed damage in several locations. In Oboyan, three stores, a pharmacy, and three cars were damaged; in the Rylsky district, windows were shattered at a closed school; and in the Khomutovsky district, the facade and fence of a private residence were damaged. In Kursk, a drone attack on a multifamily building damaged three apartments and struck four cars. One house burned down, and in two others, windows, roofs, facades, and outbuildings were damaged.

The July 19 report listed injuries to eight people. In Kursk, a 36-year-old man suffered shrapnel wounds to his back and legs; a 69-year-old woman sustained a closed craniocerebral injury, a concussion, and a left hip fracture; and a 41-year-old woman suffered an acoustic blast injury. In Lgov, a 40-year-old Belarusian citizen sustained shrapnel wounds to his hip and lower back, and a bus driver was injured when his vehicle was struck by a drone. On the Rylsk-Lgov highway, a 28-year-old man stepped on an explosive device, suffering a mine-blast injury that severed his leg below the thigh, along with shrapnel wounds and abrasions. A 55-year-old man was also wounded in Lgov.

The same report described property damage: in Kursk, nine apartment buildings and 34 cars were damaged; in Oboyan, a store's windows, facade, roof, and merchandise were damaged; in Lgov, three houses and a car sustained damage; in the village of Ryzhevka in the Rylsky district, one house's roof was damaged, another was destroyed by fire, and a shed and a car burned down; and in Rylsk, a private house was completely destroyed.

The July 8 report noted that on July 7, Khinshtein had reported a 54-year-old man injured in the settlement of Selektsionny in the Lgovsky District.

No fatalities were reported in the accounts covering July 7-8 and July 18-19. The July 6-7 report did not mention casualties.