Thousands Evacuated In Russia Amid Ongoing Ukrainian Offensive

Struggling to manage a significant Ukrainian incursion, Russia announced on Saturday that it had evacuated tens of thousands of people from its border region and initiated a “counter-terror operation.”

According to a photo released by the Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on August 9, 2024, residents from the Kursk region arrived at a railway station in Tula, where they were greeted by emergency ministry personnel, volunteers, psychologists, and medical staff.

Moscow also raised concerns that the ongoing conflict in Russia’s western Kursk region might pose a risk to a nearby nuclear power plant.

Ukrainian forces launched a major offensive early Tuesday, marking the largest and most successful such operation by Kyiv in the two-and-a-half-year conflict. Ukrainian troops have made several kilometers of advancement, prompting Russia to deploy additional reserves and equipment. Precise details about the forces involved from either side remain unclear.

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Local officials reported that more than 76,000 people have been temporarily relocated from towns and villages near the combat zone. Emergency aid is being transported into the area, and additional trains have been arranged to evacuate people to Moscow.

“The war has come to us,” said one evacuee at a Moscow train station on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the situation in an evening speech, referring to updates from army chief Oleksandr Syrsky on the frontline. He expressed gratitude to the soldiers and emphasized Ukraine’s resolve to apply pressure on the aggressor.

Russia’s military confirmed on Saturday that the fighting with Ukrainian forces had continued for a fifth day. Initially, Kyiv’s troops crossed the border with approximately 1,000 soldiers, 20 armored vehicles, and 11 tanks. Russia claimed to have destroyed five times that amount of military hardware so far.

The Russian national anti-terrorism committee announced late Friday that it was initiating “counter-terror operations” in the Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions to safeguard citizens. These operations grant security forces and the military extensive emergency powers, including movement restrictions, vehicle seizures, phone monitoring, and enhanced security at key infrastructure sites.

In Moscow, there is support for strict measures to address the situation, though some frustration exists over how the incursion was allowed to occur. Alexander Ilyin, a 42-year-old architect, stated, “We have to take all the steps that are possible in such a situation.”

The anti-terrorism committee accused Ukraine of an “unprecedented attempt to destabilize the situation” in several Russian regions.

In response, Russia launched a missile strike on a supermarket in Kostyantynivka, eastern Ukraine, on Friday, killing at least 14 people. Another three were reported dead in the Kharkiv region on Saturday.

Ukraine reported evacuating 20,000 people from the Sumy region, just across the border from Kursk. Although neither side has provided specific details on the incursion, Russia’s defense ministry mentioned that it had struck Ukrainian positions up to 10 kilometers from the border and hit troops in areas 30 kilometers apart.

In response to the incursion, Belarus has ordered military reinforcements, including ground troops, air units, and rocket systems, to be deployed closer to its border with Ukraine.

Russia’s nuclear agency warned of a “direct threat” to the nearby Kursk nuclear power station, located less than 50 kilometers from the fighting. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier called for “maximum restraint.”

While Ukraine’s leaders have been reticent about the operation, the United States, a close ally of Kyiv, stated that it had not been informed of the plans beforehand.

On the frontline, Ukraine reported the lowest number of “combat engagements” since June 10, which could indicate that the incursion is easing pressure on other parts of the front where Russian troops had been advancing.

(Includes inputs from online sources)

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