Russia orders mandatory evacuation in Kursk after Ukraine incursion

Russian authorities declared a mandatory evacuation Wednesday of a village in the Kursk region where Ukraine began an incursion last week. 

Kursk Gov. Alexey Smirnov said on Telegram that the operational headquarters established in the region decided on the mandatory evacuation of the village of Glushkovo — about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Glushkovo is located 117 kilometers southwest of the city of Kursk.

Smirnov went on to say that the evacuation process will be coordinated by law enforcement agencies, the Russian military, and local government.

Smirnov said earlier that the situation in the region remains “difficult” as 8,000 residents move to temporary accommodation centers.

Last week, intensified shelling in Kursk was followed by an incursion of Ukrainian infantry, supported by tanks and armored vehicles, into the border region, particularly near the city of Sudzha, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Authorities in Kursk have said that 28 settlements in the region are under Ukrainian control, and 12 people were killed and 121 injured since the incursion into the border region adjacent to Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region. Kyiv has claimed that it took control of 74 settlements.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of carrying out “large-scale provocation” and “indiscriminate shooting,” while Ukrainian President Vlodoymyr Zelenskyy admitted it was an “operation” by Ukraine’s troops without specifying its goals.