Russia declares state of emergency for Kursk region

After Ukrainian troops advanced into the Russian Kursk region, a state of emergency was declared in the region and security for the nuclear power plant there was increased. “The Kursk region continues to face a difficult operational situation in the border areas,” said the acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexei Smirnov, on Telegram. He heads an operations team that works around the clock. Meanwhile, the first group of evacuated residents of the Russian border region arrived in the neighboring Oryol region.

According to the Russian Ministry of Health, more than 30 people were injured by Ukrainian shelling in the Kursk region. At least 19 of them were taken to hospitals for treatment. Among the injured is Russian television’s best-known war correspondent, Yevgeny Poddubny. State television reported that he was being treated in a local hospital. According to media reports, he suffered severe burns as a result of a drone attack.

At the same time, the Russian National Guard increased protection for the Kursk nuclear power plant, which has four blocks and an output of almost two gigawatts and is located just over 60 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. In addition, additional forces have been deployed to combat sabotage and reconnaissance troops in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, the authority said. This is being done in cooperation with the Russian border troops and the army. The information provided by both warring parties cannot usually be independently verified.

Ukraine crosses border into Russia

The day before, Ukrainian troops, supported by tanks and artillery, had crossed the Russian border from the Sumy region near Sudzha and reportedly brought several villages under their control. According to Russian sources, around 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers are involved in the operation. According to unconfirmed reports, they advanced up to 15 kilometers towards the nuclear power plant.

Immediately across the border, the Sudzha gas measuring station could also have come under Ukrainian control. This is where Russian natural gas transits through Ukraine and on to Slovakia and Austria. In 2023, despite the ongoing war, 14.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to the European Union in this way.

A video distributed on Ukrainian channels also allegedly showed around 20 Russian border guards captured in the Kursk region. The footage could not be independently confirmed.

Still no official comment from Kyiv

The authorities in Kiev did not comment further on the situation in the Kursk region. In his evening speech, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj merely mentioned a consultation with Army Commander-in-Chief Olexander Syrskyj. “Details will follow later,” said the head of state. He also discussed the expansion of the Ukrainian missile program with Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov.

Zelensky also mentioned that he had spoken to members of the government about the long-discussed smartphone program “Army+,” which will be used to digitally record commanders’ reports in the future. “This will definitely make the commanders’ day-to-day tasks easier,” the president emphasized. Later, this will also be made available to every soldier.

Use of glide and cluster bombs

The Ukrainian General Staff reported on heavy Russian glide bombing in the Sumy region, which borders Kursk. Around 30 glide bombs were dropped there alone. In addition, half a dozen locations were shelled by Russian artillery.

In the evening, the Russian Defense Ministry showed a video of the use of a short-range missile of the “Iskander-M” type. The missile attack with a cluster bomb warhead was aimed at a concentration of Ukrainian troops not far from the Russian border in the Sumy region. This information could not be verified either.

Border region evacuated

In view of the heavy fighting in the Russian neighboring region of Kursk and the Russian shelling, the Ukrainian authorities have ordered the evacuation of further places in the border region of Sumy. The measures affect 23 settlements, as the military governor of Sumy announced on Ukrainian television. Around 6,000 people, including more than 400 children and young people, are to be brought to safety from the border region.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military expects an intensification of fighting in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. “The enemy is using artillery, mortars and multiple rocket launchers, which may indicate the enemy’s intention to start active assault operations,” the Ukrainian army group active in the area said on Telegram. This particularly affects the region around the border town of Vovchansk, which has been under battle since May.

There were also reports of continued heavy fighting in the Donetsk region, especially around the city of Toretsk and the town of Nyu-York (New York). A Ukrainian retreat east of Nyu-York registered by Ukrainian military observers has not yet been officially confirmed.

Ukraine has been resisting the Russian invasion for almost two and a half years.