MOSCOW 

Russia on Tuesday decided to form three military groups within its army to effectively respond to Ukrainian forces shelling civilian settlements and prevent future incursions.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Coordinating Council on Military Security of Border Territories in Moscow, presided over by Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, who ordered the formation of Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk military groups named after three Russian regions bordering Ukraine that have been targeted by Ukrainian shelling and cross-border attacks.

Belousov also appointed officials in charge of border security, according to a statement posted on the Defense Ministry's official website, which also included a video of the meeting.

The decision came after Ukrainian troops crossed into Russia's Kursk region two weeks ago.

"The representative of the General Staff of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the commanders of the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk groups of forces are responsible for protecting citizens and territories from attacks by drones and other means of attack," he said.

The new officials must complete the tasks assigned to them within 24 hours, and if they are unable to complete the task due to their position, they must report to the minister.

"I would like to emphasize once again that these officials should be in direct contact with the regions around the clock. No question should be ignored," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a separate statement that the armed forces continue to repel the Ukrainian troops' attacks in the Kursk region.

Russian aviation and artillery have targeted Ukrainian concentrations of manpower and reserves, while reconnaissance units are searching forests for groups attempting to advance deeper into Russian territory, it said.

According to the ministry, a large number of Ukrainian soldiers have been captured, and some military equipment has been seized and destroyed.

"Reconnaissance and search operations are continuing to identify and destroy enemy sabotage groups in the forests that tried to penetrate deep into Russian territory," it said.

Russia and Ukraine troops are still fighting in the Kursk region, where Kyiv launched an incursion on August 5-6, with Moscow claiming it was orchestrated and supported by the West.

Ukraine claims to have captured 92 settlements since then, particularly Sudzha town.

According to Russian authorities, 17 people were killed, 140 more injured, and over 121,000 evacuated following the incursion by Ukrainian troops.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Kyiv captured 92 Russian settlements, describing the objective of the “incursions” as the “establishment of a buffer zone.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incursion as a "terrorist attack."

Earlier on Tuesday, Moscow summoned American Charge d'affaires Stephanie Holmes to formally protest the incursions of US private military companies (PMC) soldiers along with Ukrainian troops into the Kursk region, as well as journalists from US media outlets entering Russian territory to cover it.