On Monday, Russia commenced the evacuation of civilians from a second border region adjacent to Ukraine as Kyiv intensified its military operations near the border. This move comes just days after Ukraine’s significant incursion into Russian territory, marking the largest since the onset of the 2022 conflict.
Last Tuesday, Ukrainian forces breached the Russian border, advancing into the western parts of Russia’s Kursk region in a surprise assault that could influence potential ceasefire negotiations following the U.S. elections. By Sunday, Russia had managed to stabilize the front in the Kursk region, though skirmishes continued in a small area of Russian territory, according to Russian war bloggers.
In the southern Belgorod region, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced evacuations from the Krasnaya Yaruga District due to increased “enemy activity on the border.” He expressed confidence in the ability of Russian forces to handle the emerging threat and began relocating residents to safer areas.
In response to the heightened threat, Russia has enforced stringent security measures in the Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions. Meanwhile, Belarus, Russia’s ally, has bolstered its troop presence at the border, citing violations of its airspace by Ukrainian drones.
Russian officials suggest that Ukraine’s incursions into Russian territory are intended to demonstrate to its Western allies that Kyiv can still conduct significant military operations while seeking leverage for potential ceasefire discussions.
Since February 2022, when Russia launched what it calls a “special military operation,” it has controlled 18% of Ukrainian territory. Despite its numerical superiority, Russian forces have faced challenges this year following Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive, which failed to achieve major territorial gains.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine’s involvement in the border incursions, describing them as a measure to “restore justice” and exert pressure on Russian forces.
In recent developments, Russia reported shooting down five drones over Belgorod, 11 over Kursk, and two over Voronezh. The defense ministry claimed to have repelled Ukrainian attacks and destroyed significant heavy weaponry, including tanks.
The Ukrainian attack has sparked concerns in Moscow about how Kyiv managed to penetrate the Kursk region so effectively after more than two years of intense conflict. Russian war bloggers noted ongoing battles near Sudzha, where Russian natural gas flows into Ukraine, and significant fighting near Korenevo, about 22 km from the border.
Gazprom announced that it would dispatch 39.6 million cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Monday. Moscow also reported that a missile strike on Kursk over the weekend injured 13 people.
While the U.S. claimed it was unaware of the Ukrainian operation beforehand, Moscow anticipates a strong response. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova emphasized that those responsible for the attacks, including their foreign supporters, would face consequences, promising a swift and severe reaction from the Russian Armed Forces.
At the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, located in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, a major fire erupted. Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, condemned the attacks for endangering nuclear safety but did not assign blame. The Russian operator accused Ukraine of causing the fire with a military strike, although the reactors were reportedly in cold shutdown. President Zelenskyy, however, blamed Russia for the blaze.