Moscow on Friday claimed that Western intelligence services orchestrated Ukrainian troops' incursion into the Kursk region in western Russia, which borders Ukraine, and dismissed the US administration's denials of involvement.
Ukraine's operation in the Kursk region was planned with Western assistance, Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev said in an interview with local newspaper Izvestiya.
Patrushev also dismissed the US administration's denials of involvement in Ukraine's incursion into Kursk, saying they "do not reflect the facts."
Highlighting Western support for Ukraine, including weapons and military advisors, he said: "The offensive in the Kursk region was planned with the involvement of NATO and Western intelligence services."
US leadership statements about non-involvement in Kyiv's actions in the Kursk region "do not align with the facts," he stressed, adding that "the US consistently says one thing and does another. Without their participation and direct support, Kyiv would not have dared to enter Russian territory."
Patrushev argued that the West is backing Ukraine's current leadership by providing weapons and military advisors, as well as intelligence and control over its actions.
"This offensive in Kursk is a desperate act, driven by the impending collapse of the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv," he claimed.
Patrushev also linked the current situation to past US interventions, recalling Washington's involvement in Georgia in 2008, when then-President Mikhail Saakashvili launched a military action to regain control of South Ossetia.
"Direct US interference in Georgia's affairs led to the secession of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. I believe that the Georgian people understand they are suffering because of American actions," Patrushev said.
"Today, Ukrainians are suffering for American interests, as the US has turned Ukraine into a military project against Russia. Washington's actions have created all the conditions for Ukraine to lose its sovereignty and territory, including regions that some American allies have long coveted," he warned.
In a separate statement, the Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing strikes on Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region but did not provide details about Ukraine's claims of control over Sudzha town.
According to Russian state media, heavy fighting continues near Sudzha, which houses a major gas pumping station, the last of which still supplies fuel to Europe.
Kyiv's incursion into Russia's Kursk region began on the night of August 5-6 when Ukrainian forces entered near Sudzha. On August 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the operation but did not elaborate on its objectives.
The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that approximately 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.
