The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Viacheslav Gladkov, June 2, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The latest articles on Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast can be found here.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Viacheslav Gladkov announced on Aug. 12 that residents of the Krasnoyaruzhsky District, located on the border with Ukraine, would be evacuated due to reported activity of the Ukrainian army in the area.
The Ukrainian military launched a surprise incursion across the border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, bringing regular Ukrainian forces into Russia for the first time. Ukraine has continued to advance farther into Kursk Oblast amid ongoing fighting. On Aug. 10, Ukrainian media shared a video that appeared to show Ukrainian troops of the 252nd battalion in the village of Poroz in neighboring Belgorod Oblast.
"It has been an alarming morning," Gladkov said on Aug. 12. "(There has been) enemy activity on the border of Krasnoyaruzhsky District." According to a 2021 census, the district's population is about 14,000 people.
Gladkov said that he believed Russian soldiers would be able to "cope with the threat that has arisen, but in order to protect the lives and health of our population, we are starting to move people who live in Krasnoyaruzhsky District to safer places."
On Aug. 10, Gladkov announced that the entry to the village of Poroz, located in the district neighboring Krasnoyaruzhsky, was closed due to a "counter-terrorism operation regime."
While Ukrainian officials and military command have so far not officially commented on the operation in Kursk Oblast, media are forced to rely on limited and questionable information circulated by Russian Telegram channels and videos of Ukrainian forces that often surface anonymously.
Earlier on Aug. 9, Russia's Defense Ministry said it was sending additional military equipment to Kursk Oblast's Sudzha district, 10 kilometers (6 miles) east of the Ukrainian border.
The Russian state-controlled media outlet TASS reported on Aug. 10 that over 76,000 residents of Kursk Oblast had been evacuated due to the ongoing fighting. At the same time, some have taken to social media to complain about the inadequate efforts from authorities to help residents evacuate and a lack of resources for those who have already done so.
Francis Farrell
