MOSCOW -- The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian forces launched a massive attack on the defense positions in Russia's Kursk region at 8:00 am local time (0500 GMT).

In its Telegram channel, the defense ministry said that up to 300 soldiers from Ukraine's 22nd Mechanized Brigade, supported by 11 tanks and over 20 armored combat vehicles, attacked the Russian border defense positions near the settlements of Nikolaevo-Daryino and Oleshnya.

The Russian border defense units and the Federal Security Service's border troops have repelled the attacks and delivered heavy fire against the Ukrainian forces at the border and in the Sumy region.

Alexey Smirnov, the acting governor of the Kursk region, said that 18 people were injured due to the attacks.