Fighting is ongoing а few dozen kilometres from Kursk Nuclear Power Plant – local authorities

STANISLAV POHORILOV — Friday, 9 August 2024, 13:25

Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. Photo: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)

Igor Korpunkov, mayor of the Russian town of Kurchatov, where the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (Kursk NPP) is located, has reported that fighting is already a few dozen kilometres from the town borders but called upon the residents not to panic.

Source: Korpunkov on Telegram

Quote: "Fighting is ongoing a few dozen kilometres from the borders of our town. The situation is tense. The state of emergency is in place."

Details: Korpunkov stated that all the services and facilities, specifically the town administration, are operating as usual. He urged locals not to panic.

"I’m in town, in my office, and I am keeping the situation under control," he stressed.

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 ruler Vladimir Putin called the situation a "provocation".
Ukraine has not yet commented on the events in Kursk Oblast.
A state of emergency has been declared on the second day of the breakthrough on the border in Kursk Oblast.
Experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), having analysed the data collected, have confirmed the advance of Ukrainian troops up to 10 kilometres deep into Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State, stated that the US did not receive any notification from Ukraine of any operation in Kursk Oblast. He added that "it’s not unusual for the Ukrainians not to notify us of their exact tactics before they execute them" and that the Ukrainians "do not violate our policy".
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".