Civilians are to be evacuated from another district in Russia's Kursk Oblast, regional authorities announced on Aug. 12, as Ukraine's incursion into the region continues.
In a post on Telegram, Alexey Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, said those living in the Belovsky district located on the border with Ukraine are being advised to leave.
"I instructed the regional Ministry of Transport to prepare additional transport; buses are already on duty in safe areas," he said.
"The main thing now is to promptly notify residents of populated areas about the opportunity to leave 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.
Although reinforcements sent by Moscow have begun to arrive on the battlefield, Ukraine has reportedly continued to advance farther into Kursk Oblast.
Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups entered the territory of the Belovsky district in Russia's Kursk region overnight on Aug. 11, head of the district, Nikolai Volobuev, claimed that day.
According to Volobuev, the group's appearance created "a lot of panic" in the Belovsky district. He described the current situation as "stable, but very tense."
At the time, Smirnov denied there were clashes in the district between Ukrainian and Russian forces.
The Belovsky district is located some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Sudzha, a town in Kursk region, in less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Ukraine. Ukrainian troops posted video footage on Aug. 9, claiming to be on the outskirts of Sudzha.
Belgorod Oblast Governor Viacheslav Gladkov announced on Aug. 12 that residents of the Krasnoyaruzhsky District, which borders the Belovsky district, would be evacuated due to reported activity of the Ukrainian army in the area.
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."
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.
Russian authorities on Aug. 9 introduced a so-called "counter-terrorism operation" in Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod oblasts, located on the Ukrainian border, in response to Ukraine's incursion.
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
