Russia evacuates more places: Ukraine invites UN and Red Cross to Kursk

Russia evacuates more places
Ukraine invites UN and Red Cross to Kursk

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The Ukrainian government wants to prove that – unlike Russia – it respects human rights in the areas occupied by its military. To this end, the United Nations and the Red Cross are to visit the site to see what is happening. Moscow is outraged.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha has invited the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to review the situation in the Russian border region of Kursk, which is occupied by Ukraine. “Ukraine is ready to demonstrate its respect for international humanitarian law,” Sybiha said at X. Russian authorities in Kursk, meanwhile, ordered the evacuation of several towns. He has instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to “officially invite the UN and the ICRC to participate in the humanitarian efforts in the Kursk region,” Sybiha continued.

At the beginning of August, Ukraine unexpectedly launched an offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk, where it claims to control more than a thousand square kilometers and dozens of villages. The government in Kiev says it now wants to prove that it respects human rights, treats Russian civilians well and does not commit war crimes. Russia is accused of atrocities on Ukrainian territory under its control.

Since the first day of the offensive in Kursk, the Ukrainian armed forces have shown “that they fully respect international humanitarian law” and ensure “humanitarian aid” and the safety of civilians, said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister.

Peskov speaks of provocation

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sharply criticized Kiev’s invitation to the UN and ICRC. “This is pure provocation. And we demand a sober assessment of such provocative statements,” Peskov said to the UN and ICRC. According to Moscow, around 150,000 civilians were evacuated from the region because of the Ukrainian offensive. Now the authorities have ordered the evacuation of further villages. Towns that are less than 15 kilometers from the border with Ukraine must be evacuated for security reasons, explained the interim governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov. This affects dozens of villages. Specifically, it concerns the towns in the Rilsky and Khomutovsky districts.

The regional general staff had ordered the forced evacuation of these people “on the basis of operational information,” Smirnov explained. He called on the affected citizens to show understanding and “follow the recommendations.” The interim governor did not say how many people were affected by the evacuations. The local authorities called on those affected on Telegram to take essential items with them and take care of their pets.

Last week, according to consistent statements from both sides, Russia launched a counter-offensive in the Kursk region. Today, Moscow announced that it had recaptured two towns in the area – Uspenovka and Borki. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric arrived in Moscow for a long-planned visit. Spoljaric will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov tomorrow, Tuesday. Three Ukrainian ICRC employees were killed by Russian shelling in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk on Thursday.

Ukraine hopes that its advance into the Kursk region will slow down the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. The Russian army has advanced further there in recent weeks. On Friday, however, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that the situation on the eastern front was “very difficult.”

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