Russia says it pummelled Ukrainian forces along the Kursk front

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Monday it had struck Ukrainian forces at more than a dozen places along the front in the Kursk region of western Russia where Ukraine has carved out a slice of territory after smashing through the Russian border 20 days ago.

Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers punched through the border on Aug. 6 in a surprise attack that Russian President Vladimir Putin said was aimed at improving Kyiv's negotiating position ahead of possible talks and slowing the advance of Russian forces along the front.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that his forces had advanced up to 3 kilometres (1.86 miles) in Russia's Kursk region, taking control of two more settlements there.

Russia said it had struck Ukraine's 22nd and 115th Mechanized Brigades, the 82nd Airborne Assault Brigade, and a Guard and Support Brigade in at least 12 different places with air strikes, artillery and infantry.

Moscow said it had also repelled attacks at seven additional places in Kursk and had struck Ukrainian forces at 16 other locations in Ukraine's neighbouring Sumy region.

"Units of the northern group of forces, with the support of army aviation and artillery fire, repelled attacks by enemy assault groups in the direction of the settlements of Kremyanoye, Malaya Loknya and Nechayev," Russia's defence ministry said in a statement.

It said Russian forces had also "thwarted attempts to attack in the direction of Komarovka, Spalnoye, Korenevo, Pogrebky and Olgovka."

The ministry said it was seeking to identify and destroy Ukrainian sabotage units which had hidden in the forests in an attempt to penetrate deeper into Russian sovereign territory.

While the Kursk incursion has grabbed headlines, Russian officials say the attack will fail to draw Russian forces away from the east of Ukraine where they are still advancing. They also say it will ensnare thousands of Ukrainian troops in a new front which has little strategic or tactical importance.

The Kremlin said on Monday that there would have to be a Russian response to Ukraine's incursion, and that the idea of ceasefire talks with Kyiv was no longer relevant.

Putin has said that Ukraine will receive a "worthy response" but has yet to set out in public what that response is.

Since the incursion, Russia said that Ukraine had lost 73 tanks, 61 armoured personnel carriers and 404 armoured combat vehicles in the Kursk region. Reuters was unable to verify battlefield reports from either side.

Russia also gave estimates for Ukrainian losses in Kursk, but Reuters does not publish combatant estimates from either side.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Andrew Osborn and Toby Chopra)