Russia evacuated around 180,000 people from Kursk, while President Vladimir Putin denounced a Ukrainian offensive in the border region and accused Kiev of trying to “create discord” and “instill fear” in his country.
Putin on Monday held a security meeting with governors overseeing regions bordering Ukraine and promised that Ukrainian troops marching miles through his country would be wiped out by a harsh Russian response.
The acting governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, said Ukraine had advanced more than 11 kilometers into the region, in an area about 38 kilometers wide, occupying around 28 settlements, according to the independent Russian channel Novaya Gazeta. In Kursk, 120,000 people were evacuated and another 60,000 are expected to leave soon.
In comments published by the Kremlin, Putin said Ukraine invaded Kursk in order to seize territory for negotiations, but that it refused to negotiate with people who “attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, or pose threats to nuclear energy facilities.”
“The leaders of the Kiev regime are not only perpetrating crimes against the Russian people, but also, in fact, pursuing the destruction of their own citizens, the Ukrainian people, whom they evidently no longer consider as their own,” Putin said. “The opponent will undoubtedly face a strong response and all the objectives we have set will certainly be achieved.”
Ukrainian forces, which invaded Kursk in a surprise offensive on Aug. 6, now control more than 600 square miles of Russian territory, according to a Telegram post by Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that his forces were operating in Russia, said Kiev would continue to work to “guarantee peace.”
“Russia brought war to others and now it is coming home,” Zelensky said in his evening video speech.
Ukrainian troops are fighting to gain control of several key cities in Kursk, including Sudzha and another city to the northwest, Korenevo.
Russian forces are struggling to contain the Ukrainian advance, even as Putin redeploys forces to expel them.
Russian military bloggers have also reported that Ukraine appears to have begun digging trenches and other defenses in Kursk, a sign that it is preparing to hold the territory, at least for now.
Kiev’s surprise incursion comes as Russian forces continue to advance across the 600-mile front in eastern Ukraine.
Putin said on Monday that the Ukrainian offensive on Kursk was aimed at diverting attention from those efforts, but asserted that Russian troops were increasing their advances and would not be deterred.
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