Fighting continues, locals ask for evacuation: what is happening in the Kursk region of Russia on August 7
On Tuesday, August 6, Russian authorities reported that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had broken through the border from Sumy region and entered the Kursk region of Russia. The Ukrainian side did not comment on the situation.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces used 300 people from the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, 11 tanks and 20 armored vehicles for the offensive.
The authors of the Telegram channel "Two Majors" Dmytro and Kateryna Koshyka claim that the Ukrainian armed forces have engaged several thousand people, artillery, UAVs, SAMs and dozens of armored vehicles. They are allegedly opposed by the FSB border troops, VKS aviation, conscripts and army reserves.
Also read: Tanks, artillery of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and more entered Kursk region of Russia - media
Around 19:20 on August 6, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had retreated from the Kursk region, but later the ministry removed this mention from its publication.
Russian pro-war Telegram channels report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have gained a foothold in the Kursk region and have allegedly already captured 11 settlements. "Russian soldiers are surrounded," wrote Mikhail Zvinchuk, the author of the Rybar public, in his post.
According to some so-called "military correspondents" of the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have moved 15 kilometers deep into the region and have established themselves in 11 settlements: Lyubymivka, Obukhivka, Pokrovske, Zelenyi Shlyakh, Tovstyi Luh, Nyzhniy Klyn, Mykolaiv-Darya, Daryino, Sverdlikovo, and Lebedivka.
Military observer Yigal Levin (originally from Odesa, grew up in Israel) wrote on his Telegram channel that "the Russians started using Iskander missile systems on their own territory, hoping to delay the advance of Ukrainian units in the Kursk region."
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"This is an extremely powerful weapon that can create a lot of problems for the advancing forces. However, at the same time, it is extremely scarce and designed to hit the most important targets in the enemy's operational depth. The fact that the Russians have begun to use it, and behind the advancing Ukrainian armored vehicles, indicates that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have achieved complete surprise in the Kursk direction, and now Russian commanders are trying to stop the breakthrough by any means they can find at their disposal," the expert added.
Meanwhile, Russian media reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are already in control of the Sudzha gas metering station, which transports Russian gas to Europe. Some media outlets report that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are trying to seize the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. It is also reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are already in control of the Sudzha gas metering station, which transports Russian gas to Europe.
Residents of the Kursk region are complaining en masse about the lack of evacuation after the invasion of the Ukrainian army. Sudzha and other settlements in the Kursk region near the border with Ukraine have been left without communication, electricity and water amid fighting between the Russian army and the Ukrainian armed forces. Locals are complaining on social media about the lack of evacuation and asking for help to get their relatives out.
The authorities did not organize evacuation in the border areas, and local residents can only rely on their own strength and volunteers.
Reaction from the Russian authorities
The head of Korenovsky district of Kursk region, Marina Degryatova, called on residents to limit their movements to the district center and settlements in general. Russian propagandists claim that Russian President Vladimir Putin convened an emergency meeting of the Security Council, where he discussed an appeal to the West to stop helping Ukraine and threatened to launch a massive missile strike on Kyiv.
The administration of the Suzhansky district said that the organized evacuation of people was hampered by shelling. The Russian Emergencies Ministry also made it clear that no evacuation was taking place and urged people not to believe "fake newsletters about the organization of such events."
The governor of the Kursk region, Alexey Smirnov, requested the president's help because of the fighting in the Kursk region. He stated that the regional authorities "are taking unprecedented measures to ensure the safety of residents".
Smirnov said that evacuation of residents from the war zone to safe areas had been organized.
He reported on the situation in the region to the Russian President, who allegedly assured him of assistance from the federal center.
As a reminder, on August 6, 2024, the Russian side announced that the Ukrainian Defense Forces had broken through the border in the Kursk region and entered the territory of the Russian Federation from the Sumy region.
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