According to Moscow, armed insurgents who crossed the border from Ukraine to carry out attacks in the Belgorod region of Russia have been vanquished.
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The border region's villages were evacuated after being subjected to constant shelling.
Russia asserts that the fighters are Ukrainian and claims that 70 of the attackers have been killed.
Two Russian paramilitary organizations, however, have claimed responsibility for the incursion while Kyiv has denied any involvement.
Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago, Monday's raid appears to have been the largest cross-border intrusion.
Moscow then declared a counterterrorism operation in Belgorod and granted the local authorities their special authority to impose restrictions on communications and movement of persons.
The Kozinka checkpoint and the Gravoronsky neighbourhood in the Belgorod region saw severe bombardment on Monday, according to the Russian defence ministry, which blamed the attacks on a "unit of the Ukrainian nationalist formation" that had infiltrated Russian territory.
The ministry claimed that 70 "Ukrainian terrorists" had been killed and that the remaining fighters had now been forced back to the Ukrainian border in a statement posted on Telegram on Tuesday.
However, according to Ukrainian officials, the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) and the Liberty of Russia Legion were responsible for the incident.
According to Hanna Maliar, deputy minister of defence for Ukraine, "These are Russian patriots who want to change the political regime in the country," Ukrainian TV said on Tuesday.
On Monday, the Liberty of Russia Legion, a Russian militia based in Ukraine that claims to be fighting inside Russia to topple President Vladimir Putin, claimed to have "completely liberated" the border town of Kozinka.
It said that further east at the town of Grayvoron, advancing units had arrived.
The two paramilitary organisations said on Tuesday that they were establishing "a demilitarised zone on the border with the Russian Federation, from which they will not be able to shell Ukraine" in a statement to Ukraine's official radio Suspilne.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, reported that numerous persons, including two civilians being evacuated from their homes, had been hurt during the conflict.
Gladkov stated that residents of many villages had been evacuated and urged those who had already left their houses not to do so at this time while Russian soldiers conducted what he called a "mopping-up" operation.
The air defences had shot down drones overnight that had damaged structures, he continued.
According to local authorities, temporary shelters have been established in the Grayvoronsky district for about 9,300 residents who have been evacuated.
The BBC has confirmed that one of the targets was a building used by the FSB, Russia's primary security agency. What caused the damage is unclear.
While there are "many ethnic Russians living in Ukraine... they are still Ukrainian militants," according to Dmitry Peskov, Mr Putin's spokesperson.
Their goal, Mr Peskov continued, was to divert attention from Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
After months of fierce and violent combat, the Russian mercenary Wagner group recently claimed to have taken control of the city.
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Kyiv claims it still has control over some of it, though. However, Mr Maliar noted on Tuesday that while there had been less combat in Bakhmut, nearby shelling had not stopped.
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