Creation of civil administration in Russia's Kursk Oblast not ruled out, Zelensky says

The creation of different civil administrative bodies in Russia's Kursk Oblast should not be ruled out, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 14, as Ukraine's incursion into Russia stretches into its second week.

Ukraine's cross-border incursion into neighboring Kursk Oblast began on Aug. 6, and by Aug. 13, Ukraine said it controlled 74 settlements in the region. As the Russian territory under Ukrainian control has expanded, questions have arisen about how the areas should be managed.

In a post on Telegram, Zelensky shared a video of a meeting with top advisors and officials, in which he said that the situation in Kursk Oblast was being discussed.

"Security, humanitarian aid, (and) the creation of military command posts, if necessary," were among the issues addressed at the meeting, Zelensky said.

Separately, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukraine's military is creating a "security zone" on Russian territory to protect Ukrainian border areas.

There are Russian civilians in the area, Vereshchuk said, which necessitates a response that adheres to international law.

Vereshchuk said that Ukraine would be conducting humanitarian operations in the area, including creating safe corridors for civilians to evacuate — both toward Ukraine and to other parts of Russia.

International humanitarian organizations will also be allowed to enter the area to support the civilian population and monitor the situation, she added.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko characterized the area as a "buffer zone" aimed at protecting Ukrainian civilians from ongoing attacks. Klymenko said that more than 20,000 people had been evacuated from Ukraine's Sumy Oblast have been evacuated in response to the increased Russian strikes.

Klymenko also said that Russian civilians residing in parts of Kursk Oblast where fighting has been ongoing had been "abandoned" by authorities, who fled without leaving in place basic humanitarian necessities. The Interior Ministry would assist in the provision of food, water, medicine, and hygiene products to help support the local civilian population, Klymenko added.  

Alexey Smirnov, acting governor of Kursk Oblast, said on Aug. 12 that 121,000 people had been evacuated or left Kursk Oblast on their own. Authorities are planning to evacuate 180,000 people from the region, he added.

Kursk incursion deals blow to Putin’s prestige marking first ground invasion of Russia since World War II

The 1,000 square kilometers Ukraine says it controls in Russia’s Kursk Oblast amounts to a tiny share of Russia’s massive terrain. Yet, politically, the surprise Ukrainian move poses one of the biggest challenges to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grip on power. The stunning operation, conducted…

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov