Russian IDPs from Ukrainian-held Sudzha stage protest rally
- 10 November, 13:43
Residents of Russia’s Kursk region displaced by Ukraine’s cross-border incursion, have staged a protest rally, demanding that their grievances be listened to.
The internally-displaced persons from Ukraine-held Sudzha city in Kursk region, rallied in the regional capital city Kursk on Sunday afternoon. The rally participants demanded better living conditions and asked the authorities to evacuate the rest of Russian citizens from the Ukrainian-occupied Sudzha city. The protesters also demanded that Russian generals responsible for defending Kursk be punished for Ukraine’s successful large-scale incursion into the region in early August.
Videos circulated on Telegram app, showed dozens of protesters gathered outside of the city administration building. The regional official for local affairs, Anatoly Drogan, described the rally as illegal and demanded their dispersal.
“This is an illegal action. We are living under counter-terrorism regulations,” Drogan said. The protesters rejected the local authorities’ offer to enter the administration building.
Ukraine captured Sudzha city in mid-August and took control of a number of villages and settlements in the border region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described Kurs as a “buffer zone” to prevent Russia’s cross-border attacks.
