Federal emergency declared in Belgorod amid Ukrainian advance

Many of the reports from Russian state media or Kremlin officials are likely untrue. Such reports could be an element of the Russian Federation's information warfare.

The Kremlin news agency RIA Novosti reports that the decision was made after an extraordinary meeting of the government commission on prevention and response in emergency situations.

- In accordance with the information received during the reports, I propose to classify the emergency situation that arose in the Belgorod region as a federal state of emergency and establish a federal level of response, said the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations head, Alexander Kurenkov.

According to Kurenkov, the situation in the region exceeds the capabilities of local authorities. Comprehensive assistance is being provided to the affected population in the region. Still, the scale of what is happening does not allow regional authorities to cope with the consequences on their own.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine launched an offensive operation in the Kursk region on Russian territory on August 6. Kyiv's units currently occupy an area of about 386 square miles. This is the first time foreign troops have occupied any part of Russian territory since World War II.

On Thursday, the Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that since the beginning of the day, Ukrainian troops have advanced between 0.3 to 1 mile in some directions, repelling three enemy counterattacks and continuing offensive operations. They have brought 444 square miles of territory and 82 localities under our control. The overall situation is under control.