Russia on Monday evacuated civilians from parts of a second region bordering Ukraine after Kiev stepped up military activities near the border, just days after the largest incursion into sovereign Russian territory since the war began in 2022.
On August 6, Ukrainian troops rammed through the Russian border and crossed some western parts of Russia’s Kursk region. This surprise attack may have been intended to gain leverage in potential ceasefire negotiations following the US elections in November.
Russia was apparently caught by surprise and stabilized the front in the Kursk region on Sunday, although Ukraine captured a small piece of Russian territory where fighting continued on Monday, Russian war bloggers said.
In the more southerly Belgorod region, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said evacuations had begun from the Krasnaya Yaruga district due to “hostile activity on the border.”
“I am sure that our servicemen will do everything to counter the threat that has arisen,” Gladkov said. “We are starting to move people living in the Krasnaya Yaruga district to safer places.”
Russia has imposed strict security measures in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions, while ally Belarus said it would increase its troops on the border after Minsk reported that Ukraine had violated the country’s airspace with drones.
Russian officials say Ukraine’s attacks on Russian territory are aimed at showing Western supporters that Kiev can still carry out major military operations while gaining negotiating leverage ahead of possible ceasefire negotiations.
WATCH l Battlefield, negotiation dynamics can be part of an invasion strategy:
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and now controls 18 percent of Ukrainian territory. Russian forces, which enjoy vast numerical superiority, have been advancing along the 1,000-kilometer front this year after Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive failed to make significant gains.
Kiev broke its silence on the attacks on Saturday when President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had invaded Russian territory to “restore justice” and pressure Moscow’s troops.
There were signs in Moscow that the attack would provoke a response from Russia.
“We have no doubt that the organizers and perpetrators of these crimes, including their foreign curators, will be held responsible,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
“A strong response from the Russian armed forces will not be long in coming.”
‘Reckless attacks’ on nuclear power plant
A large fire broke out at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in a part of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of starting the fire, although neither side reported any signs of increased radiation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog said its workers had seen thick, dark smoke billowing from the northern part of the massive six-reactor plant in southern Ukraine, which is currently in “cold shutdown” after multiple explosions.
“These reckless attacks jeopardize nuclear safety at the plant and increase the risk of a nuclear accident. They must stop now,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi warned in a separate statement, without apportioning blame.
The Interfax news agency quoted Alexei Likhachev, the head of Russia’s state nuclear energy company Rosatom, as saying the fire had been raging for about three hours and was causing “very serious damage” to the cooling towers.
He said, without providing evidence, that it was caused by two Ukrainian drone strikes. It was not clear whether the damage was repairable or whether one of the towers needed to be replaced, he added.
Ukrainian nuclear power company Energoatom said in a statement that one of its cooling towers and other equipment had been damaged. Grossi said the IAEA had requested “immediate access” to the tower to assess the damage. There was no immediate response from Moscow or Kiev to Grossi’s statement.
Russia captured the plant from Ukraine shortly after launching a large-scale invasion of its smaller neighbor in February 2022.