Russia evacuates up to 8,000 people from Kursk region amid surprise Ukrainian incursion
- 12 August, 06:13
Russia has evacuated as many as 8,000 residents from its western Kursk region on the border with Ukraine amid Ukrainian army’s unprecedented cross-border incursion.
The Ministry of Emergencies put the number of evacuated residents at 8,000, stating on Sunday that 6,000 citizens have already been placed in tents over the past twenty-four hours. In a statement posted on its official Telegram channel, the ministry revealed that the evacuated residents are being constantly supplied with humanitarian aid, with another five convoys of tents, bedding and other equipment, scheduled to arrive on Sunday.
Ukraine launched a surprise incursion on Russia’s western Kursk region on Tuesday, prompting evacuation of the region’s local population. Hundreds of Ukrainian troops, supported with dozens of armored vehicles and tanks, poured into the Russian territory from various directions of the frontline. The Russian Ministry of Health says that 31 people, including six children, were injured as a result of Ukrainian shelling in the Kursk region.
The incursion marked the largest-scale Ukrainian ground offensive on the Russian soil since the start of the full-fledged invasion in February 2022. With the attack on Kursk, Russia’s war of invasion in Ukraine spilled into its own territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin described the attack a “large-scale provocation”.
