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

Kursk Oblast, which saw the incursion of Ukrainian soldiers almost a month ago, remains the center of attention of Russian media outlets. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) claim to have seized more than 100 settlements. Although the Ukrainian army’s advance has slowed, residents of the border areas continue to leave their homes. Meanwhile, battles are taking place near the state border in neighboring Belgorod Oblast. In this newsletter, I will discuss the actions of the Russian authorities in these circumstances.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Kursk Grows Accustomed to War

During the first days of the AFU’s incursion into Kursk Oblast, a “7x7” correspondent spent several days in Kursk, where evacuees from the border areas had gathered. According to his observations, while people initially struggled to believe what was happening, the atmosphere has since shifted. Residents of Kursk are becoming accustomed to the war, and the news no longer shocks them. Here is what’s currently happening in the region:

• Over 200 residents of Kursk Oblast have been injured since the beginning of the AFU’s incursion. Since August 6, 211 individuals, including 11 children, have required medical treatment. According to the Kursk operational headquarters, 68 civilians remain hospitalized. The authorities have not provided updates on fatalities, and the acting governor of Kursk Oblast stopped reporting on casualties after the incursion began. However, on August 20, medical services confirmed the deaths of 17 people. My colleagues continue to identify the deceased civilians. For example, we have learned about the death of 25-year-old Sergey Shapar, who was helping to evacuate people from the Korenevsky District, as well as the deaths of 28-year-olds Nina Kuznetsova and Alexey Trubitsyn.
  
• The authorities of Kursk Oblast have restricted entry to Kurchatov, which is home to the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant and is located about 50 kilometers from the region’s administrative center. Acting Governor Alexey Smirnov stated that “the Armed Forces of Ukraine are continuing their attempts to get into the town.” Checkpoints have been set up at the town's entrances. Residents registered in Kurchatov can enter the town freely, but those who work there without being registered will need to obtain a pass. At a meeting on August 22, Vladimir Putin claimed that the Ukrainian military had attempted an attack on the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant. On August 23, TASS reported that a drone was shot down near the facility, although this information has not been confirmed.
  
  
• The authorities of Kursk Oblast forgot to evacuate a 98-year-old World War II veteran, whom they had taken photos with during public celebrations. Klavdia Tursina-Voytova, a WWII veteran from the village of Korenevo, was unable to evacuate with other residents. Amid the Ukrainian army’s incursion, people fled their homes with almost no belongings, and neither the district administration nor the Veterans Council helped the elderly woman evacuate, reported local resident Alina Belogurova on social media: «Everyone forgot about the only WWII survivor [in the district]. The elderly woman was left completely alone; no one intended to save her or show any concern.» Belogurova claimed to have informed volunteers about Tursina-Voytova’s situation. One man eventually arrived, carried the woman in his arms, and took her to a safe location away from the shelling. Tursina-Voytova was the oldest person evacuated by volunteers, confirmed Maria Skrob, a Kursk resident who assisted with the evacuation.

• The neighboring city of Belgorod, which has been under shelling by the Armed Forces of Ukraine for over a year, plans to establish an anti-drone battalion composed of contracted soldiers. Mayor Valentin Demidov has called on men aged 18 to 60 to join the squad, with those aged 61 to 65 allowed to participate with approval from military units. According to local media, this battalion will patrol the border districts. Mayor Demidov has emphasized that protecting these areas from drones is a key initiative to ensure the safety of Belgorod residents.

Consequences of War

Residents in other Russian regions are increasingly feeling the impact of the war. Ukrainian drone attacks have become more frequent, and new graves of Russian soldiers are being discovered. In Chelyabinsk, residents have begun raising money to purchase body bags.

For the first time, Ukrainian drones have targeted Kirov Oblast, which is located roughly 1,500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. A drone struck an oil depot in the town of Kotelnich, about 1,500 kilometers from the border. Governor Alexander Sokolov reported that there was no fire at the depot. However, the Baza media outlet indicated that a reservoir at the Vyatka industrial complex did catch fire after a third drone attack, and a fourth strike was also noted.

Nearly 170 graves of participants in the war in Ukraine were discovered in a Murmansk cemetery, while the governor deleted all posts about the deceased. Violetta Grudina, an activist from Murmansk, noted the presence of freshly dug graves that had not yet been used for burials. The names on the tomb crosses match those listed in official publications, but the number of graves far exceeds the confirmed death toll. Grudina told “7x7” that, based on her calculations, Governor Andrey Chibis had mentioned only 30 to 40 deaths. However, in 2024, he stopped providing updates and deleted all posts about military fatalities from his Telegram channel.

The Russian Ministry of Defense continues to deploy conscripts to Kursk Oblast. VKontakte, the Russian social network that collaborates with law enforcement and intelligence agencies, removed a post about the deployment of conscripts from Ivanovo to Kursk Oblast, citing “unreliable information.” On August 25, the Telegram channel “Ivanovo Oblast: Trash and News” reported that members of an airborne division were being sent to the region partially controlled by the AFU. The post referenced journalist Alexey Mashkevich, whose son was deployed to Kursk Oblast after taking the military oath in Kostroma. According to the channel’s authors, their message was also shared in a VKontakte group with the same name. However, VKontakte labeled it as “deliberately false information of public significance, which received a direct rebuttal from experts” and removed it. The social network did not specify who evaluated and refuted the information. Previously, the Human Rights Ombudsman for Ivanovo Oblast confirmed that a local conscript returned home following a prisoners of war exchange. Local media identified him as 19-year-old Alexander Ovchinnikov.

In Chelyabinsk, a Z-volunteer has launched a crowdfunding campaign to purchase body bags for deceased soldiers. Anna Deryabina posted about the campaign on the evening of August 28 and closed it a few hours later, as reported by the media outlet “Chelyabinsk of the Future.” “As difficult as it is to say, we need body bags to transport our deceased guys. We need many, and each costs 200 rubles. Unfortunately, the guys have to cover this expense themselves, but their resources are not unlimited,” wrote Deryabina. Her husband, 25-year-old Nikita Deryabin, was killed in March 2022, at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, his widow has become a Z-volunteer, providing humanitarian aid to the military. Last week, Deryabina also launched a petition against the planned 700-drone show in Chelyabinsk, which gathered 56,000 signatures. Following this, the authorities decided to cancel the event.

This and other news about the situation in Kursk Oblast are available on our Russian-language Telegram channel, "7x7." Even if you don't speak Russian, you can still find the latest updates on the war in Ukraine there if needed.

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