Russian President Putin said that Russia would resolutely respond to Ukraine's provocations

Putin: The Russian side will resolutely respond to Ukraine's provocations in the border area.

According to the news on August 12, Russian President Putin said on the same day when holding a meeting on the situation at the southern border of Russia that the Russian side would resolutely respond to a series of provocations by Ukraine in the border area.

Putin emphasized at the meeting that the Russian side would assess the situation in the Russia-Ukraine border area. Driving the Ukrainian side out of Russian territory and effectively defending the border area is the current top priority.

The acting governor of Kursk Oblast, Smirnov, said at the meeting that the attacks by the Ukrainian army on the oblast had killed 12 people and injured 121, including 10 children. The Ukrainian army currently controls 28 settlements in the oblast, and the situation of about 2,000 people living in these settlements is unknown. Currently, about 121,000 people in the oblast have been evacuated.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on the 12th that in the past 24 hours, the Russian army repelled seven rounds of attacks by the Ukrainian army in the Kursk direction and foiled the attempts of enemy mobile groups to break through and penetrate into Russian territory. The Ukrainian army lost 260 people and 31 armored vehicles in the Kursk direction.

TASS reported on the 12th, citing the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, that more than 180 tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to Kursk Oblast. More than 370 temporary shelters in 54 regions of the Russian Federation are ready to receive residents from the border area of Kursk Oblast. As of the morning of the 12th, 7,000 people, including more than 2,000 children, have been accommodated in 100 temporary shelters in 7 regions.

On the 12th, the Ukrainian side said that the current offensive operation of the Ukrainian army against Russia's Kursk Oblast is still ongoing, and the situation on the entire front is under the control of the Ukrainian army. Ukrainian President Zelensky posted a message on his official social platform on the 12th saying that at the Supreme Command Headquarters meeting held on the same day, he listened to the report of the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Serhiy Shaptala, on the operation of the Ukrainian army in the Kursk region. Serhiy Shaptala said that currently, the Ukrainian Armed Forces control about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory. The Ukrainian army is continuing the offensive operation against Kursk, the battle is still ongoing, and the situation on the entire front is under the control of the Ukrainian army.

Previously, the Ukrainian army launched attacks on the Russian border oblast of Kursk, which borders Ukraine, starting on the 6th. This action by the Ukrainian side is believed to have multiple purposes, including relieving pressure in other directions on the front line, increasing bargaining chips, and obtaining more Western support. However, this action is likely to lead to a further escalation of the conflict between the two sides. The international community generally calls on all parties to exercise restraint to avoid further deterioration of the situation and is also working hard to promote the settlement of the Ukraine crisis through political means.