Federal state of emergency declared in Russia's Belgorod region amid Ukrainian military offensive
In response to the continued Ukrainian military offensive, the Kursk region of Russia has declared a federal-level state of emergency. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod region, made this announcement on Thursday, August 15, via Telegram.
An emergency government commission convened under the leadership of Russian Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov. "The situation in the region remains complex and tense," stated the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Damage has been reported to residential buildings and infrastructure, with casualties and injuries noted. "The scale of the situation prevents the region from independently addressing the consequences of the current emergency," Kurenkov emphasized. Governor Gladkov and Sergey Galyamin, the Director of the Department of Industrial and Civil Construction of the Russian Ministry of Construction, also delivered reports.
"Based on the information presented, I propose classifying the current crisis in Belgorod as a federal emergency and setting a federal response level," Kurenkov reiterated.
In light of the emergency, the Federal Antimonopoly Service will monitor regional prices closely.
Federally funded assistance will be available for affected citizens. The Ministry of Emergency Situations detailed that one-time financial aid of 15,000 rubles is available. For partial loss of essential property, the aid will be 75,000 rubles, and for total loss, it climbs to 150,000 rubles. The deceased's relatives will receive payments up to 1.5 million rubles, while those with moderate to severe injuries will receive 600,000 rubles, and those with minor injuries will receive 300,000 rubles.
Earlier on August 9, a counter-terrorist operation regime was declared in Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions. Governor Gladkov noted that residents of the Krasnoyaruzhsky district have almost completely evacuated.
The Indian Embassy in Moscow advised its citizens to temporarily leave these regions, offering assistance via email.
Meanwhile, Alexey Smirnov, the acting governor of Kursk, reported that air defenses had intercepted a missile over Lgov in the western region. Two residents were injured by falling debris and hospitalized, Smirnov added.
In a recent update on social media platform X, the account OSINTtechnical reported that Russian forces were digging a network of trenches 45 km from the border in Kursk. OSINTtechnical is associated with Hunterbrook Media, which conducts open-source journalism investigations.
Vkontakte users also saw a recruitment post on August 14 seeking people to dig trenches in Lgov, citing a lack of drivers despite the availability of machinery.
The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), referencing pro-Russian military bloggers, reported minor advances by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region on August 14. The ISW highlighted that the Ukrainian offensive has had a "notable impact on Russia’s defense, logistics, and security." Russian authorities continue drafting efforts to counter Ukrainian forces in Kursk, the report added.
As of August 14, the Ukrainian military claims control over 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory, including at least 74 settlements.