Russian authorities announce early gubernatorial election in Kursk Oblast amid Ukrainian operation

Early gubernatorial election has been announced in Kursk Oblast in Russia – they will start on 29 August instead of being held on 6-9 September.

Source: Radio Liberty

Details: Kursk Oblast electoral committee reported that the decision had been adopted "in order to guarantee safety, protection of life and health of the citizens of the Russian Federation".

Alexei Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, who has registered as a candidate from the United Russia party, claimed on Telegram that the voting would be "held in quite a complicated situation".

Background:

• Roman Starovoit, a former governor of Kursk Oblast, resigned in May 2024 after being appointed as the Minister of Transport of Russia.
• The Ukrainian army infiltrated the territory of Kursk Oblast on 6 August. Since then fighting has been ongoing in the region. The Ukrainian authorities report that the defence forces of Ukraine control almost 100 settlements, including the district centre, the town of Sudzha.
• The Russian authorities do not comment on this information. However, a federal scale emergency situation was declared in Kursk Oblast and as of now 120,000 civilians have been evacuated from Kursk Oblast to other Russian regions.
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stated on 13 August that Ukraine was not interested in occupying territory in Russia’s Kursk Oblast but rather wanted to protect the lives of Ukrainians and defend itself from Russian strikes.

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