Russia's Emergency Ministry says 76,000 civilians evacuated from areas near Ukrainian border in Kursk Oblast

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — Saturday, 10 August 2024, 19:10

Residents of Kursk Oblast in a bus in an evacuation centre in Rylsk. Photo: Profimedia

More than 76,000 civilians have been evacuated from areas near the Russian-Ukrainian border in Kursk Oblast, according to the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Source: Artem Sharov, representative of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, as reported by TASS

Quote from Sharov: "An Interagency Operational Headquarters has been set up and continues to operate in the city of Kursk to help the residents of areas near the border in Kursk Oblast. The headquarters’ priority is evacuating the residents of this area to safer areas.

More than 76,000 people have been taken to safer areas since the beginning of this campaign."

Details: Sharov also said that 60 temporary residence centres – including 26 in Kursk Oblast – have been set up and have so far accommodated over 4,400 people. Similar centres have opened in Oryol, Moscow, Tula, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Kaluga and Tver oblasts.

Background:

On the morning of 6 August, the Russians claimed that Ukrainian forces had mounted an attempt to infiltrate Kursk Oblast, Russia. Russian propagandists and military bloggers are claiming that Ukrainian forces have secured a foothold in the border area. Russian leader Vladimir Putin called the situation a "provocation".
On 8 August, Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the advance of supposedly Ukrainian forces in two districts of Kursk Oblast and noted that it had moved reserves to the border and was "attacking Ukrainian troops from the air".
On 9 August, Russia’s Ministry of Defence issued a statement on the situation in Kursk Oblast, acknowledging that Ukrainian forces were on the outskirts of the town of Sudzha.
Igor Korpunkov, mayor of the Russian town of Kurchatov, where the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (Kursk NPP) is located, reported that fighting is now taking place a few dozen kilometres away from the town borders, but urged residents not to panic.
A counter-terrorist operation (CTO) regime was imposed in Russia’s Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod oblasts on the night of 9-10 August. State of emergency was declared in Kursk Oblast on 7 August, two days after the Ukrainian incursion.