Moscow: US, UK and Poland helped Ukraine invade Kursk Oblast

The Ukrainian invasion of Russia's Kursk region was prepared with the participation of intelligence services from the United States, Great Britain and Poland, reports the Russian newspaper "Izvestia", quoted by BTA, citing the Russian foreign intelligence agency.

Ukraine launched its surprise strike into the Russian region on August 6 - Russia's biggest incursion since World War II - in an operation Kiev says is aimed at carving out a buffer zone and wearing down the Russian military machine.

"The operation of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Kursk region was prepared with the participation of the intelligence services of the United States, Great Britain and Poland," the Foreign Intelligence Service said, quoted by "Izvestia".

"The units involved in it went through combat engagement at training centers in Great Britain and Germany.". In addition, the participating militaries receive help from Western advisers, and NATO countries pass satellite intelligence data to the Ukrainian military, according to Russian intelligence.

Russia's foreign intelligence service claims it has "reliable information" for his claims, but did not provide any evidence, Reuters noted.

Earlier, the White House said the US had not received advance notice from Kiev that it was planning a military incursion into Kursk Oblast. For its part, Russia continues to advance in eastern Ukraine, while at the same time Kiev said that Ukrainian forces had seized 1,263 square kilometers of the territory of the Kursk region, including 93 settlements - figures that Reuters was unable to verify.

The Ukrainian military said its forces had come under multiple Russian attacks on the Toretsk and Pokrovsk fronts in the east of the country yesterday. The outcome of the fighting has not been reported, but the Pokrovsky front is where Russia is focusing its main attack, according to the Ukrainian military. They added that Ukrainian forces repelled 49 Russian attacks yesterday, and another 13 clashes were still ongoing.