dpa
Moscow
The Russian border region of Belgorod declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as Ukrainian forces continue to advance on Russian territory.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described the situation as “extremely difficult and tense” as border areas come under drone and missile fire from Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said its forces repelled 117 drone attacks and destroyed four tactical missiles. Russian military airfields are also said to have been attacked.
Following the invasion of Ukrainian troops over a week ago, the Kursk region declared a state of emergency of national importance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said his country’s forces have seized dozens of Russian localities in Kursk since the offensive began on August 6.
Belgorod has been under attack from the Ukrainian side for a long time, often with daily cross-border shelling. Pro-Ukrainian forces even engaged in combat inside Belgorod last year, resulting in a number of deaths and significant destruction.
But in that case volunteer battalions consisting of Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side claimed responsibility for the assaults.
Last week, Ukrainian soldiers were briefly present in the village of Poroz in the Belgorod region, where they recorded a video. Following a visit to the region, Gladkov said that residents had been liberated and the soldiers had left again.
The state of emergency now makes it possible to release additional funds for the protection of the population, he said.
The Ukrainian armed forces once again reported numerous drone attacks from the Russian side overnight. It said 17 out of 23 attacks were repelled.
The fighting in Kursk has come at a sensitive time for Moscow, with elections due to be held in many regions in early September. Many governors and regional parliaments are due to be elected, including in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. The town and district of Sudzhya, where local elections are also planned, are particularly hard-fought.
Election administration officials in Moscow have decided that citizens in the border areas can now vote early amid the conflict. According to Russian authorities, more than 120,000 people have fled the fighting in Kursk so far.
