Alexey Smirnov, the acting governor of Russia's Kursk Oblast, ordered the mandatory evacuation of the town of Glushkovo on Aug. 14 amid Ukraine's ongoing incursion into the area.
Ukraine's unprecedented operation, ongoing since last week, seems to have taken Russia by surprise, as Kyiv says its forces seized control of 74 settlements and over 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of land after they broke through the weakly defended border.
The evacuation of Glushkovo, which Smirnov said will be assisted by the military and law enforcement, and the help of local volunteers, is the latest town whose residents were ordered to leave.
Two days earlier, Smirnov said that 121,000 people had been evacuated or left Kursk Oblast on their own. He added that authorities are planning to evacuate 180,000 people from the region.
Glushkovo is located about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Ukrainian border and 68 kilometers (42 miles) northwest of the Russian town of Sudzha.
Ukrainian news showed Ukrainian soldiers removing the Russian flag from Sudzha earlier on Aug. 14.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, said on Aug. 13 that the incursion aims to prevent Moscow from sending reinforcements to the front in Donetsk Oblast.
It is also designed to disrupt Russian logistics and halt cross-border attacks in lieu of Ukraine's long-range strikes with Western arms, which remain under unofficial restrictions from partners.
Oleg Sukhov
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