Ukrainian troops are “strictly” adhering to international conventions and humanitarian law in their advance into the western Russian region of Kursk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday.
This was discussed at a meeting of the Ukrainian leadership, Zelensky said on the social media platform X.
Humanitarian aid had been prepared for the civilian population of the occupied territories. Representatives of international organizations are to be allowed access to the areas.
Ukraine’s stressing that humanitarian law will be respected goes back to atrocities committed by Russian troops during their advance on Kiev almost two and a half years ago.
At that time, numerous civilians were indiscriminately killed in the Kiev suburb of Bucha before the Russian military was forced to retreat from the area.
According to the Ukrainian agency Unian, it was decided at the government meeting to allow international organizations access to the occupied territories in western Russia. These included the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and other international organizations which provide humanitarian aid.
Belgorod declares state of emergency
The Russian border region of Belgorod declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as Ukrainian forces continue to advance into Russian territory.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described the situation as “extremely difficult and tense” as border areas come under drone and missile fire from Ukraine.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said its forces repelled 117 drone attacks and destroyed four tactical missiles. Russian military airfields are also said to have been attacked.
Following the invasion of Ukrainian troops over a week ago, the Kursk region declared a state of emergency of national importance.
Zelensky said on Tuesday his country’s forces have seized dozens of Russian localities in Kursk since the offensive began on August 6.
State of emergency allows release of funds
Belgorod has been under attack from the Ukrainian side for a long time, often with daily cross-border shelling.
Pro-Ukrainian forces even engaged in combat inside Belgorod last year, resulting in a number of deaths and significant destruction. But in that case volunteer battalions consisting of Russians fighting on the Ukrainian side claimed responsibility for the assaults.
Last week, Ukrainian soldiers were briefly present in the village of Poroz in the Belgorod region, as shown in an unverified video.
Following a visit to the region, Gladkov said that residents had been liberated and the soldiers had left again.
The state of emergency now makes it possible to release additional funds for the protection of the population, he said.
The Ukrainian armed forces once again reported numerous drone attacks from the Russian side overnight. It said 17 out of 23 attacks were repelled.
Elections to be held despite offensive
The fighting in Kursk has come at a sensitive time for Moscow, with elections due to be held in many regions in early September.
Many governors and regional parliaments are set to be elected, including in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. The town and district of Sudzha, where local elections are also planned, are particularly hard-fought.
Election administration officials in Moscow have decided that citizens in the border areas can now vote early amid the conflict.
Deputy election organizer Nikolai Baluev said in Moscow that the extended options would allow those eligible to vote to decide for themselves where they would cast their vote, including in emergency shelters.
According to Russian authorities, more than 120,000 people have fled the fighting in Kursk so far.
Lithuania says Russian troops pulled in from Kaliningrad
Also on Wednesday, Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas said Russia is moving some troops from its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad in response to Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region.
“They need more resources and are trying to pull them from other areas,” Kasčiūnas told the Baltic news agency BNS without elaborating.
There has been no confirmation from the Russian side.
Kasčiūnas called Ukraine’s offensive into Russian territory “a moral boost.”
Battles continue in eastern Ukraine
While the Kursk offensive continues to dominate headlines, the Russian army is intensifying its attacks on eastern Ukraine.
The general staff in Kiev said attacks on Ukrainian positions near Pokrovsk, north-west of Donetsk, have been particularly intense, with a total of 54 advances by Russian units recorded.
Clashes have also taken place near Toretsk, north of Donetsk, where Russian airstrikes were carried out.
Fighting also continues in the area around the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, where Russia launched an offensive earlier this year.
