The Belgorod region of Russia declared a state of emergency on Wednesday following new attacks by Ukrainian forces.
According to CNN, Kyiv claimed control of extensive areas of Russian territory after a rare cross-border incursion.
“The situation in the Belgorod region continues to be extremely difficult and tense,” Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated in a video message on his Telegram channel.
This emergency declaration follows evacuations that began on Monday due to Ukrainian advances.
This escalation comes after Kyiv’s unexpected incursion into the nearby Kursk region last week. The recent events marked the first time since World War II that foreign troops have entered Russian soil.
Regional officials are now urging the Russian government to declare a federal emergency.
Gladkov reported that Ukrainian drones had attacked Shebekino and Ustinka, two locations in Belgorod. Although there were no casualties, two residences sustained damage.
In response to the threat, Russia’s National Guard has heightened security around the Kursk nuclear power plant, a strategic site in Russia’s southwest.
The National Guard, known as ‘Rosgvardiya,’ announced that it has implemented “additional measures” to safeguard the facility.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has been monitoring the situation closely.
Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has called on both sides to “exercise maximum restraint” to prevent a potential nuclear accident.
Russia’s defense ministry reported on Wednesday that it had intercepted dozens of drones and four tactical missiles over the Kursk region.
The Russian air defenses also downed 117 “aircraft-type” drones overnight.
Meanwhile, Voronezh, a southwestern region adjacent to Kursk and Belgorod, reported the destruction of over 35 Ukrainian-launched drones.
Meanwhile, no casualties were reported, falling debris caused damage to properties, vehicles, and municipal infrastructure. Authorities are warning of a continued risk from drone attacks.
Since the beginning of Ukraine’s incursion, tens of thousands of Russians have been displaced, and Moscow is struggling to respond.
Counter-terror operations have been imposed in Kursk, Belgorod, and the Bryansk region.
Kyiv has claimed control of nearly as much land as Russia has seized in 2024, although this is still far less than the total Ukrainian territory held by Russia since the conflict began in 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces control 74 settlements in Kursk and are preparing for further actions in the region.
The incursion has embarrassed the Kremlin, with President Vladimir Putin pledging to “kick the enemy out” of Russia. However, Russian troops have yet to halt the Ukrainian advance.
US President Joe Biden addressed the situation on Tuesday, indicating that he was receiving regular updates and noting that the incursion is “creating a real dilemma for Putin.”
