Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry declared a federal emergency in Belgorod Oblast on Aug. 15, as Ukraine's incursion into Russia marks its 10th day.
Belgorod Oblast is sandwiched between Kursk Oblast to the northwest and Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast to the south. The region also shares a border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast to the west.
Ukrainian troops entered Kursk Oblast from Sumy Oblast on Aug. 6. Ukraine said on Aug. 13 that its military had control over 74 settlements in the region.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency on Aug. 14, citing an "extremely difficult" situation in the region, and said he would request for a federal state of emergency to be declared.
Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov announced that a federal emergency had been declared during an extraordinary meeting of the Russian government's Commission on Preventing and Eliminating Emergency Situations.
The authorities in Belgorod Oblast have organized "comprehensive assistance to the affected population," Kurenkov said.
"However, the scale of what is happening does not allow the region to independently eliminate the consequences of the current emergency situation," he added.
The Emergency Situations Ministry also said there are reports of "unjustified price increases for food and essential goods" in the region. Kurenkov reportedly instructed the Federal Antimonopoly Service to control the situation.
Gladkov claimed that multiple settlements on the border with Kharkiv Oblast had been attacked over the past day by Ukrainian drones and munitions.
Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast are regularly launched from Belgorod Oblast.
Gladkov said on Aug. 13 that 11,000 residents of the region's Krasnoyaruzhsky district, which borders both Kursk and Kharkiv oblasts, had evacuated their homes. The district was home to around 14,000 residents, according to a 2020 census.
Oleg Sukhov
