Hello!

I'm Maxim Polyakov, a correspondent for the online magazine '7x7'.

The Ukrainian army’s incursion into Kursk Oblast has been ongoing for more than two weeks. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) now control nearly 100 settlements, and over 133,000 people have been evacuated. Local authorities and Z-bloggers are trying to reassure residents that there is nothing to worry about and that the Russian army will soon push the invaders out. Meanwhile, those left homeless criticize both officials and the military, claiming they were the first to flee the battle zone, abandoning their duties and the ordinary citizens. In this newsletter, I will cover the events in Kursk Oblast over the past week.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

“That’s What Our Country Is Like”

Kursk, a refugee aid center. A “7x7” correspondent observes the volunteers at work, while several dozen people seeking assistance wait near the entrance. Volunteers have formed a human chain, passing boxes, water bottles, and blankets from hand to hand. Cars carrying humanitarian aid arrive at the center every 10 minutes. Occasionally, Kursk residents come to the building with bags in hand, and couriers deliver ordered items. Here’s what people in line were talking about:

• “We decided to go to our relatives for a day until it all calms down. We didn’t take anything for the kids. We left our diplomas, jewelry, the house and the apartment mortgage papers at home — we haven’t even gotten the keys yet.”
• “Our neighbor fled through the swamps. A woman with two kids. They left with just two bags, all they could grab quickly. Drones chased them. A local farmer driving nearby picked up the woman and her children and rushed them to [the village of] Bolshesoldatskoye at a crazy speed. People are trying to escape through the fields, with mud up to their knees!”
• “No one evacuated us. We did it all by ourselves. Friends and neighbors helped us get out. I guess the entire administration was the first to run away.”

A few meters from the aid center’s gates, a girl speaks with two elderly women. They had all lived in Sudzha, almost on the same street, but only met at the aid center. The young woman is a police officer. When Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups (SRGs) entered the district, female officers were ordered to leave with their families. Her male colleagues stayed behind to evacuate people and guard property.

“I told my mom, ‘If those [SRG soldiers] get into our house and see my uniform, they’ll probably run us over with a tank,’” the police officer laughs.

She left by car on the first day of the incursion with her grandmother, mother, and uncle.

“We were used to the constant booming and banging [of the military equipment] in our gardens. Normally, we’d take some of our belongings, wait on the hill almost at the exit, and then come back. It usually took three or four hours. We did the same thing on August 6, but no one expected we wouldn’t be able to return,” recounts the young woman.

Those who left the combat zone in Kursk Oblast will automatically receive a payment of 15,000 rubles. On August 8, a one-time payment of 10,000 rubles was introduced. According to the acting governor of Kursk Oblast, Alexey Smirnov, local residents “do not want to leave” and are requesting permission to use the compensation vouchers to repair their houses instead of buying new ones. Meanwhile, over 4,000 people have signed a petition asking to be allowed to procure property in other regions.

What Officials Are Doing

Several federal ministers arrived in Kursk Oblast within the first few days of the incursion. They recorded reassuring messages to the region’s residents, promising assistance from Moscow. For example, Mikhail Murashko, the Minister of Health, announced that doctors and other specialists from various Russian regions would come to Kursk Oblast to help. Here are some other statements:

• Alexey Ryabykin, the head of the Dmitriyevsky District in Kursk Oblast, left his post on August 21 to join the war effort. “The deputies unanimously supported my decision to resign early and take up duties in a volunteer formation in the Southern Federal District,” said Ryabykin. Although Dmitriyevsky District does not directly border Ukraine, its outskirts are approximately 27 kilometers from Sumy Oblast. No evacuation has been ordered in this district, and according to official reports, it has only been reached by missiles and drones twice since the beginning of the war.
• The Central Election Commission has postponed elections in seven municipal districts of Kursk Oblast due to the Ukrainian army’s advance. Following a recommendation from the Kursk Oblast Election Commission, elections have been postponed in Lgov, as well as in the Belovsky, Bolshesoldatsky, Glushkovsky, Korenevsky, Sudzhansky, and Khomutovsky districts. This decision does not affect the gubernatorial election, which has been moved to an earlier date, with officials citing the need to “ensure safety and protect the lives and health of Russian citizens.” Experts believe that starting the elections early will facilitate election fraud in this unstable situation.
• The authorities in Kursk Oblast are keen to avoid dissatisfaction among residents due to the AFU’s attack. This is likely why the governor publicly demonstrates that the whole country is united in aiding locals. Russian officials and ordinary citizens are expressing their support through words, money, and humanitarian aid. This response contrasts sharply with the situation in Belgorod Oblast, which suffers from ongoing shelling but no battles on its own territory. Residents of Belgorod Oblast, led by Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, have largely had to manage the consequences of the war on their own. “7x7” has compared the current situations in these neighboring border districts, and this study can be read in Russian on our website.

What Is Happening to the People

Residents of Kursk Oblast are waiting for help, but officials have been slow to respond. Here are a few examples:

• Residents of Kazachya Loknya in Kursk Oblast have called for a “green corridor” to facilitate evacuation. They report a high number of killings in the village. The villagers have been sending messages online to Vladimir Putin, the Ministry of Defense, Acting Governor Alexey Smirnov, and District Head Alexander Bogachev. The appeal claims that Kazachya Loknya has been “under occupation” since August 6, and the situation “deteriorates daily.” “Many people were ruthlessly killed by NATO mercenaries and Ukrainian soldiers while attempting to leave the village! Civilians were shot at close range,” the authors assert. Journalists from Ukrainska Pravda filmed Kazachya Loknya from above, showing burned cars with dead bodies inside. A Ukrainian nurse who arrived in the Sudzhansky District stated that the vehicles came under fire due to strikes on Russian military equipment.
• Residents of Kursk Oblast have requested permission to purchase property in other Russian regions. Currently, compensation vouchers given to residents of border districts can only be used to buy houses within Kursk Oblast. However, prices there have surged due to the influx of refugees. This information is detailed in a petition signed by 3,700 people. “During these evacuation days, prices in Kursk have skyrocketed. It is impossible even to rent an apartment, with costs ranging from 20,000 to 70,000 rubles. Property prices have also risen significantly. Staying continuously in temporary shelters is also impossible. There are no conditions for living normally,” the petition authors state. The federal budget has allocated 1.8 billion rubles for housing for those who have relocated from border districts of Kursk Oblast. On August 19, Acting Governor Alexey Smirnov reported that 194 families have already received vouchers, and another 2,000 are expected to get them soon.

© Copyright, online journal "7х7"