Putin accuses Ukraine of attempting to destabilize Russia with Kursk offensive

• Russian President Vladimir Putin assured that Ukraine's incursion into Russia's south would not succeed.
• The assault on Kursk had already forced 76,000 people to evacuate.
• Over 44,000 residents in the Kursk region have applied for financial assistance.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Ukraine was attempting to destabilize Russia with its incursion into the country's south, but he assured that it would not succeed.

Putin informed top security officials and regional governors during a televised meeting that "the losses of the Ukrainian armed forces are increasing dramatically, especially among their most combat-ready units, which the enemy is deploying to our border."

“The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response, and all the goals facing us will, without a doubt, be achieved.”

On Monday, two Russian regions bordering Ukraine ordered additional evacuations as Moscow struggled to contain an unprecedented push onto its territory.

Last week, Ukraine launched its largest cross-border operation into Russia since Moscow's invasion in February 2022, marking the most significant foreign military action on Russian soil since World War II.

Authorities in the Kursk region announced they were expanding their evacuation area to include the Belovsky district, which is home to around 14,000 people. The neighboring Belgorod region also stated that it was evacuating its border district of Krasnoyaruzhsky.

“For the health and security of our population, we’re beginning to move people who live in Krasnoyaruzhsky to safer places,” Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram.

The assault on Kursk had already forced 76,000 people to evacuate.

Over the weekend, a top Ukrainian official stated that the operation aimed to stretch Russian troops and destabilize the country after months of slow Russian advances along the frontline.

The assault seemed to catch the Kremlin off guard, prompting Russia’s army to rush in reserve troops, tanks, aviation, artillery, and drones to suppress it.

On Sunday, the army acknowledged that Ukraine had penetrated up to 30 kilometers (20 miles) into Russian territory in certain areas.

During a briefing, the defense ministry reported that it had "foiled attempts" by Ukrainian forces to "break through deep into Russian territory" using armored vehicles. However, it noted that some Ukrainian forces were near the villages of Tolpino and Obshchy Kolodez, located approximately 25 kilometers and 30 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border.

A Ukrainian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the operation's goal was to stretch enemy positions, inflict maximum losses, and destabilize Russia, which has been unable to protect its own border.

The Ukrainian official confirmed that thousands of Ukrainian troops were involved in the operation.

On Monday, Russia’s defense ministry reported that its air defense systems had destroyed 18 Ukrainian drones, including 11 over the Kursk region.

On Sunday, each country accused the other of causing a fire at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine. Both sides, along with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, reported that there was no indication of a nuclear leak.

“No impact has been reported for nuclear safety,” said the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has experts at the site. Kyiv and Moscow said there had been no rise in radiation levels.

In a later statement, the IAEA said it had requested “immediate access to the cooling tower to assess the damage.”

On Monday, Moscow-installed official Vladimir Rogov reported on Telegram that the blaze had been “completely extinguished.”

The plant’s Russian-installed operator stated that the facility was working normally after the incident and that all six reactors remained in “cold shutdown.”

On Sunday, Russia’s emergency situations ministry reported that over 44,000 residents in the Kursk region had applied for financial assistance, according to TASS news agency.

At an aid center in Moscow, 28-year-old midwife Daria Chistopolskaya criticized the response.

“I think that the state does not care enough about such people, and people themselves should help each other in these kinds of situations,” she said.

Russia’s rail operator organized emergency trains from Kursk to Moscow, about 450 kilometers away, for those fleeing the area.

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