Russia says at least 56 civilians have been killed and 266 have been wounded since Ukraine’s forces began conducting cross-border attacks in the western Russian region of Kursk in August.
A Russian Foreign Ministry official made the claim on Monday during a news conference organized by a state-run media group.
The official also said that 131,000 people fled. But he added that as many as 120 of them were forcibly detained in a facility in the town of Sudzha. Children were reportedly among those detained.
Ukraine has dismissed the Kremlin’s claims.
Reuters news agency cited a Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying that Ukraine abides by international humanitarian law and does not target civilians.
The Ukrainian military began its cross-border incursion on August 6. In late August, Ukraine said its troops had seized about 1,300 square kilometers of the Kursk region and taken control of 100 settlements.