Twelve civilians have died and another 121 have been injured following Ukraine's attack on the Kursk Region, reported Xinhua, quoting Acting Governor of the region Alexei Smirnov on Monday.
About 180,000 people are subject to evacuation from the region, and about 120,000 residents have already left, Smirnov said during a video conference with President Vladimir Putin.
Smirnov said 28 settlements are under Ukraine's control, adding that the authorities had no information regarding the 2,000 residents living in those settlements.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday confirmed that Ukraine is carrying out an "operation" in Russia's western Kursk region.
"Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky reported on our defensive actions on the front and our operation in the Kursk region," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Zelensky voiced his gratitude to Ukrainian soldiers and commanders "for their resilience and decisive actions".
The Ukrainian leader also said that he instructed the country's Security Service, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko and other officials to prepare a humanitarian plan for the area of the "operation".
Separately, Oleksandr Syrsky wrote on Telegram that currently Ukrainian forces control about 1,000 square km of Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday said that Ukraine's attack on the Russian border will receive a "worthy response" and the Russian military's main task is to knock the Ukrainian forces out of Russian territories.
"The enemy will certainly receive a worthy response, and all the goals facing us will undoubtedly be achieved," the Russian leader said at an operational meeting via videoconference on the situation in the border regions.
Putin said it is obvious that the Ukrainian army will continue to try to destabilize the situation in the border zone in order to destabilize the internal political situation in Russia.
The president called on the Russian Federal Security Service, together with the National Guard, to ensure the regime of the counter-terrorism operation and an effective fight against Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups in the border regions.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi