Moscow said Thursday that Ukraine's army had launched a fresh offensive in the Russian Kursk border region, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Kyiv troops fighting on Russian soil.
Thursday marks six months since Kyiv stormed across the Russian border in a shock ground assault, capturing dozens of Russian border settlements and swathes of territory.
Russia has since been clawing back ground, but Ukraine sees its continued hold on parts of the area as a key bargaining chip in any future peace talks between the two sides.
Russia's defence ministry said Thursday its troops had "foiled an attempted counter-offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces".
It said the new fighting was around the villages of Ulanok and Cherkasskaya Konopelka, southeast of the regional hub of Sudzha, which is under Ukrainian control.
The area is about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russia said Ukraine had deployed two mechanised battalions, tanks and armoured vehicles in the attempted attack.
There has been no comment on the fresh offensive from officials in Kyiv.
But Zelensky on Thursday praised his troops fighting in the Kursk region and issued several units with state awards.
"The occupier can and should be beaten on its territory," he said in a social media post.
"The Kursk operation clearly explains the meaning of the principle of 'peace through strength'," he said, referring to a message he has been promoting to secure ongoing military support from Ukraine's western partners.