MOSCOW/NIAMEY/RUSSELS - 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.

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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.

Niger severs ties with Ukraine

Niger will break off diplomatic ties with Ukraine "with immediate effect," Amadou Abdramane, spokesman for the Niger military government, announced on national television on Tuesday.

He said in a statement that the move was taken because of Kyiv's "support for terrorist organizations," and called the UN Security Council to make a ruling on Ukraine's "aggression".

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The statement said that "considering the seriousness of the situation, and the recognized and assumed involvement of Ukraine in the aggression of Mali," the Nigerien government, in solidarity with the Malian government and people, decided to break off "with immediate effect" diplomatic relations with Ukraine, and the referral to the UN Security Council with a view to ruling on the Ukrainian "aggression" and its sponsors.

On Sunday, Mali's transitional government said it would sever diplomatic relations with Ukraine "with immediate effect," citing Ukraine's acknowledged involvement in an act of aggression against Mali.

EU's 4.2 billion euros aid

The European Union (EU) is ready to disburse 4.2 billion euros ($4.6 billion) to Ukraine after the EU deemed the country's reform efforts satisfactory, the Council of the EU said on Tuesday.

According to a press release, the council gave its green light to the first tranche of regular payments of grants and loans to Ukraine under the EU's Ukraine Facility.

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The conditions and reforms have been met, the council said. The reforms cover public financial management, governance of state-owned enterprises, business environment, energy and demining.

The Ukraine Facility, from which the funds will be released, entered into force in March 2024. It foresees up to 50 billion euros of financial support for the 2024-2027 period.