"We know that the number of people who entered the territory [of Kursk Region] is estimated at about 12,000 ... In connection with the foreign presence, I would like to note that initially there were a lot of foreigners. So there was Polish speech, English speech, and French speech heard everywhere," Alaudinov told Russia's Rossiya 1 broadcaster, adding that "most of them have already been destroyed."
Ukrainian troops aimed to seize strategic facilities in the Kursk Region and a part of the Belgorod Region, he said. The NATO leadership counted on the fact that the Ukrainian troops would be able to occupy significant territory along with many strategic facilities in order to set conditions on Russia, the general said.
Ukrainian aircraft have not been noticed over the Kursk Region during Ukraine's offensive in Russia, Alaudinov added.
On August 6, Ukrainian forces crossed the border into Russia and launched an offensive in the Kursk Region. Commenting on the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Ukraine had carried out another large-scale provocation, firing indiscriminately at civilian targets. The enemy will receive a proper response in the border regions of Russia, Putin added.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Ukrainian troops had lost up to 2,300 service people and 37 tanks during their offensive in the Kursk Region.