Russia says 28 settlements in Kursk border region under Ukrainian control

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia said on Monday that almost a week into Kyiv’s incursion into the country’s Kursk region, 28 settlements in the border region are currently under Ukrainian control.

“The situation in the region is currently difficult. There are currently 28 settlements under enemy control,” Alexey Smirnov, Kursk’s acting governor, said during a meeting with members of Russia’s Security Council.

Last Tuesday, Russia said that Ukrainian troops, including tanks and armored combat vehicles, attacked its military positions near two border settlements in the Kursk region.

Since then, Moscow has reported that it has been repelling incursions into the border region by Ukrainian forces, in addition to countering airstrikes launched at Kursk and surrounding regions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 7 accused Kyiv of “large-scale provocation” and “indiscriminate shooting.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy replied the next day: “Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done.”

Smirnov said that 12 people were killed and 121 were injured in the region, including 10 children, since the start of Kyiv’s incursion into the region, which is adjacent to Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region.

He added that about 121,000 residents of the region have already been evacuated, with 59,000 others preparing to do the same.

He also said that Ukrainian forces penetrated 12 kilometers (7.4 miles) into the region, with the front line in the region spanning 40 km (24.8 mi).

Smirnov added that the fate of about 2,000 people in the 28 settlements under Ukrainian control is currently unknown.​​​​​​​