Ukraine's attack on Russian territory leads to the evacuation of over 76,000 people

According to a report by Russian Satellite News Agency on August 10, 2024, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations released news that more than 76,000 people have been evacuated from Kursk Oblast to safe areas. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia said that the operation command is working day and night to provide assistance to the people. The top priority now is to resettle the residents in safe areas. Since the start of this work, a total of more than 76,000 people have been evacuated. In the temporary resettlement centers, people have received necessary medical and psychological assistance.

It is reported that since August 6, Kursk Oblast has been under fierce ground attacks from the Ukrainian side. The regional government of the oblast on August 10 called on residents in high-risk areas to speed up the evacuation. The Russian federal government announced a series of measures on the same day to enhance the security alert status of Kursk and two other border oblasts. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in his video speech on the evening of August 10, for the first time talked about the Ukrainian army's offensive against the Kursk Oblast of Russia. He said that the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Alexander Syrskyi, reported to him the progress of the Ukrainian army's attack into Russian territory, and Ukraine is proving its ability to exert "pressure" on the Russian side. However, neither Zelenskyy nor the Ukrainian military provided detailed information on the latest situation of the Ukrainian army's offensive inside Russia.

According to another report by Deutsche Presse-Agentur on August 10, international media said that at least five Ukrainian brigades were involved in the operation several days after the Ukrainian army's surprise attack on the Kursk Oblast of Russia, namely the 22nd and 88th Mechanized Brigades, the 80th Air Assault Brigade, the 116th Mechanized Brigade and the 61st Mechanized Brigade. According to the website of Forbes magazine in the United States, four mechanized brigades and one air assault brigade were involved in the operation, with a theoretical total force of 10,000 officers and soldiers and 600 armored vehicles. But it is not yet clear whether these brigades were fully committed to the attack or only sent some of their troops.

Kursk Oblast is located at the southwest foot of the Central Russian Upland in the European part of Russia, belonging to the Central Federal District of Russia. It has an area of 29,800 square kilometers. Its west and southwest border Ukraine, with a 245-kilometer border. The center of Kursk Oblast is the city of Kursk, founded in 1095. The distance from Moscow to the city of Kursk is 536 kilometers. The climate of the oblast is a mild continental climate, located in the fertile black soil zone where forests and grasslands blend, suitable for agricultural cultivation.