By V.E.K.Madhushani, Jadetimes News
Escalating Conflict Prompts Swift Action as Civilians Evacuate
A state of emergency has been declared in Russia's Belgorod region following a series of attacks by Ukrainian forces. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described the situation as "extremely difficult," citing daily shelling that has resulted in the destruction of homes and civilian casualties.
This development comes after Ukraine's surprise cross border assault on Russia's Kursk region last week, which led to mass evacuations and a state of emergency being declared by President Vladimir Putin.
In a video message on Telegram, Governor Gladkov indicated his intention to request that the federal government extend the state of emergency to Belgorod, similar to the measures taken in Kursk. He reported that the city of Shebekino and the village of Ustinka had been targeted by Ukrainian drones, though no casualties have been reported so far.
According to Russian authorities, 117 drones were shot down overnight, with the majority targeting the regions of Kursk, Voronezh, Belgorod, and Nizhny Novgorod. Governor Gladkov stated that Belgorod had experienced 23 drone attacks in the past 24 hours, resulting in damage to a church, 14 houses, an administrative building, several vehicles, and a gas supply line. One civilian was reportedly injured in the Shebekinsky district due to a drone attack.
Belgorod is located just south of the Kursk region, where Ukraine's recent incursion marked the deepest penetration into Russian territory since Moscow's full scale invasion began in 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had advanced 1 2 kilometers further into Kursk since the start of the day. However, there is uncertainty about the exact amount of Russian territory under Ukrainian control, and skepticism remains regarding army chief Oleksandr Syrskyi's earlier assertion that 1,000 square kilometers were under Ukrainian control.
In a video call with President Zelensky, Mr. Syrskyi reported that Ukrainian forces had captured 100 Russian prisoners of war during the cross border operation. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Heorhiy Tykhy, emphasized that Kyiv is not interested in "taking over" Russian territory and that the sooner Russia agrees to a just peace, the sooner these raids into Russia will cease.
President Putin has accused Ukraine of rejecting Russian proposals for a peaceful settlement, alleging that Ukraine, with the support of its Western allies, is carrying out their will. Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Rodion Miroshnik labeled Ukraine's incursion as a "terrorist action," accusing Kyiv of putting peace talks "on a long pause."
President Zelensky has consistently stated that Ukraine will not negotiate with Moscow until Russian forces withdraw from all Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.
Despite Moscow's insistence that Ukrainian advances have been thwarted, the ongoing situation in Kursk suggests otherwise. Nearly 200,000 Russians have fled their homes in the affected areas of the Kursk region.
In his first public comments on the operation, US President Joe Biden remarked that the Ukrainian offensive is "creating a real dilemma for Putin." Additionally, the prime ministers of Finland and Estonia expressed their support for Ukraine's military operation in Kursk during a joint press conference on Wednesday. Last week, the German Foreign Ministry reiterated that Ukraine has the right to self-defense, which is "not limited to its own territory."
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