Russia says it thwarts Ukraine's attempts to enter Kursk region

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had repelled six new Ukrainian attempts to enter its western Kursk region and had also taken control of the settlement of Makiivka in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region.

The ministry said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that its forces, with the support of aircraft and artillery rounds, repelled attempts to enter the region near the village of Novy Put, some 79 kilometres (50 miles) west of Sudzha, a strategic crossing point for Russian natural gas exports to Europe via Ukraine.