In a statement, the ministry said that Ukraine had used helicopters to land up to 30 soldiers close to the border village of Kozinka. It said they were repelled by Russian soldiers and border guards.

Ukrainian officials said earlier today that two Russian border provinces, Belgorod and the neighbouring Kursk region, were under attack by anti-Kremlin Russian armed groups based in Ukraine.

Belgorod’s regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app that two people had been killed and “very serious damage” was inflicted on Kozinka village.

Russia began voting today in a three day presidential election in which President Vladimir Putin is sure to win his latest six year term in office.

Belgorod region, a frontier province that has come under regular attack from Ukraine since 2022, was previously the site of a series of incursions by Kyiv’s forces in 2023.

In May 2023, Ukrainian troops briefly took control of an area close to the border, including the village of Kozinka.