Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged today that residents of border areas are experiencing difficulties due to attacks by the Ukrainian army, which partially controls the Kursk region.
“People living in the border regions have faced a difficult test. And the authorities - whether federal, regional or local - are obliged to pay special attention to their needs and demands,” Putin said at the start of the meeting with the governors elected in the recent local elections, which was broadcast on television channels.
From the Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg, Putin denounced terrorist attacks and attempts to destabilize the situation in border areas, especially in Kursk and Belgorod, which have been hit hardest by the war.
The Russian leader - who since the start of the Ukrainian military campaign has rarely publicly addressed the insecure situation of Russians living near the Ukrainian border - assured that “all problems will be resolved without delay and without formalities”.
The Ukrainian incursion on the Russian border revealed that the Federal Security Service, responsible for border surveillance, is not being effective.
A week ago, the Kursk authorities ordered the mandatory evacuation of border towns along a 25-kilometer strip in two other districts, amid Russia's counter-offensive to expel enemy troops from the region.
The Russian Defense Ministry recently reported that it had foiled several Ukrainian attempts to cross the border, something that Kiev managed to achieve in Kursk on August 6.
The Russian army launched a counter-offensive two weeks ago to expel Ukrainian troops from Kursk, which shares several hundred kilometers of border with the neighboring country.
According to the Russian government, Moscow-led troops have retaken 12 towns, although Kiev continues to launch new attacks to prevent Moscow from creating a security strip in the north of the country, especially in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, on the grounds of protecting the pro-Russian separatist minorities in the east and “denazifying” the neighboring country, which has been independent since 1991 - after the break-up of the former Soviet Union - and has been moving away from Moscow's sphere of influence and closer to Europe and the West.
The war in Ukraine has claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, and recent months have been marked by large-scale Russian airstrikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, while Kiev forces have targeted targets on Russian territory close to the border and on the Crimean peninsula, illegally annexed in 2014, and invaded the Kursk region.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged today that residents of border areas are experiencing difficulties due to attacks by the Ukrainian army, which partially controls the Kursk region.
Now in the third year of the war, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have faced a shortage of soldiers, weapons and ammunition, despite repeated promises of help from Western allies, which have since begun to materialize.
Negotiations between the two sides have been completely blocked since the spring of 2022, with Moscow continuing to demand that Ukraine accept the annexation of part of its territory.
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