TASS: “Over 75,000 people evacuated… Acting Kursk governor orders rapid evacuation”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed for the first time on the 10th (local time) that the Ukrainian military was attacking the Kursk region in western Russia, confirming that the war was spreading to mainland Russia, the BBC reported.
“Ukrainian troops are pushing the war into the territory of the aggressor,” President Zelensky said in a televised address that night. This came just five days after Ukraine launched its Kursk offensive, which surprised Russia and triggered mass evacuations on both sides of the border.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, explosions were reported in the capital Kiev and Sumy region in the early hours of the 11th.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned citizens to stay in shelters, saying air defense systems were activated and the city was on air raid alert. The Ukrainian Air Force also said an air alert was in effect for Kiev, the surrounding area and all of eastern Ukraine.
In a speech on the 10th, President Zelensky thanked the Ukrainian military and said he had discussed operations in Russia with its commander, General Oleksandr Sirsky. “Ukraine is proving that it is capable of restoring justice and ensuring the necessary pressure on the aggressor,” he added.
Russia’s TASS news agency reported that more than 76,000 people have already been evacuated from the border area, and that Kursk acting governor Alexei Smirnov ordered a rapid operation on Tuesday to safely evacuate civilians.
The Russian National Counter-Terrorism Committee has activated the “counter-terrorist operation” system in three regions, Kursk, Belgorod and Vrymansk, in response to the surprise border incursion by Ukraine. As a result, the movement of people and vehicles in these regions has been restricted, and telephone wiretapping has been made possible.
Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) urged both countries on the 9th to “exercise maximum restraint” as fighting spread near the Kursk nuclear power plant, one of Russia’s largest nuclear facilities. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said, “Measures must be taken to avoid a nuclear accident that could have serious radiological consequences.” The plant is about 60km northeast of Sudza.
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2024-08-11 06:15:43