Russian authorities declare state of emergency in Belgorod Oblast
The Russian governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced the introduction of a state of emergency at the regional level and reported an appeal to the government commission to recognize the situation in the region as a federal emergency.
The local authorities have decided to declare a state of emergency at the regional level in Belgorod Oblast, according to the official.
It is declared allegedly for additional protection of the population and "providing additional measures to support the victims." Gladkov does not specify how the situation has radically changed compared to the previous days.
The local authorities also decided to turn to the government commission to declare a federal emergency in Belgorod Oblast.
On August 7, on the second day of the Ukrainian operation, a state of emergency was declared in the neighboring Kursk Oblast. Already on August 9, the Russian government commission recognized the situation in the region as an emergency situation of federal significance.
On August 10, the Russian authorities announced the regime of "counter-terrorist operation" in the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod oblasts.
The Ukrainian operation in Kursk Oblast began on August 6, but Kyiv did not officially comment on it for almost a week.
On August 12, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially acknowledged the operation. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that as of August 13, Ukraine controls 74 settlements in Kursk Oblast. The president reported on hundreds of Russian prisoners taken there.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Ukraine is not interested in seizing the territory of Russia's Kursk Oblast. The purpose of the operation is to preserve the lives of Ukrainians and protect the territory from attacks from Russian soil.
Ukraine also warned its partners that the Russian Federation may resort to fabricating incidents of violations of international law in order to blame the Ukrainian side.
Read also: Ukraine's Kursk Oblast operation 'creates real dilemma' for Putin, says Biden
