On Monday, Russia evacuated parts of another region adjacent to Ukraine following a significant increase in Ukrainian military activity near the border. This development comes shortly after Ukraine's largest incursion into Russian territory since the war began in 2022. Ukrainian forces breached the Russian border early on Tuesday, advancing into parts of Russia's Kursk region in a surprise attack that may aim to gain leverage in potential ceasefire discussions after the U.S. election. Despite being initially caught off guard, Russia had stabilized the front in the Kursk region by Sunday, although Ukrainian forces had secured a small area of Russian territory where battles continued on Monday, according to Russian war bloggers.
In the neighboring Belgorod region to the south, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov announced that evacuations had started from the Krasnaya Yaruga District due to "enemy activity on the border," posing a "threat." Gladkov expressed confidence in the Russian servicemen's ability to handle the threat and stated that residents of the Krasnaya Yaruga district were being moved to safer locations.
Russia has implemented a comprehensive security regime in the Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod regions, while Belarus, a Russian ally, announced it was increasing troop numbers at its border following accusations that Ukraine violated its airspace with drones. These bold Ukrainian attacks on Russian sovereign territory aim to demonstrate to Western allies that Kyiv can still conduct significant military operations and seek leverage in potential ceasefire talks.
Despite possessing vast numerical superiority and controlling 18% of Ukrainian territory, Russian forces have been advancing along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front this year after Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive failed to achieve major gains. Ukraine broke its silence on the attacks on Saturday when President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Ukraine had launched an incursion into Russian territory to "restore justice" and put pressure on Moscow's forces.