Fighting continues in Russia’s Kursk region, Moscow says

The clashes and shelling have prompted evacuations of civilians on both sides of the border.

The Russian army announced on Wednesday, August 7, the continuation of the fighting in the Kursk region, the scene since the day before of an incursion of Ukrainian troops. According to Moscow, Ukrainian units entered this border region on Tuesday with up to a thousand soldiers and dozens of tanks and armored vehicles. kyiv has, until now, remained largely silent on this operation.

Vladimir Putin denounced a “large-scale provocation”accusing Ukrainian troops of “indiscriminately firing various types of weapons, including rockets, at civilian buildings, homes and ambulances”. For his part, the Chief of Staff of the Russian Army Valery Gerasimov assured the Russian head of state that “the enemy’s advance deep into the territory has been stopped by air and artillery strikes.” According to the pro-Russian military Telegram channel Rybar, Ukrainian soldiers have captured three villages in the Kursk region since the start of their offensive.

The clashes and shelling have prompted evacuations of civilians. Russian authorities have announced that “several thousands” people had fled the border areas, where at least five civilians were killed and 28 were injured, including children. Acting Governor of the Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov also announced the cancellation of all public events and called on people to donate blood to replenish the stocks of medical facilities.

Across the border, in the Ukrainian region of Sumy, the Ukrainian governor has ordered the evacuation of several thousand residents. “The order I have just signed provides for the compulsory evacuation of 23 localities”Volodymyr Artyukh announced on television. “There are about 6,000 people, including 425 children.”he said.