Russia's Belgorod Oblast declares state of emergency, governor says.

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The governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, declared a state of emergency on Aug.

14, citing an "extremely difficult" and tense situation due to ongoing attack from Ukrainian forces. Gladkov reported extensive damage, including destroyed homes and civilian casualties, and announced that the regional emergency would be followed by a request for a federal state of emergency. Belgorod Oblast, which borders Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast and is adjacent to Kursk, has been targeted by Ukrainian drones, resulting in a fire and structural damage to an apartment building in Shebekino.

Despite the attacks, there have been no reported casualties from the drone strikes. This escalation follows a recent significant cross-border attack by Ukrainian forces into Kursk, where a state of emergency was declared last week. Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Aug.

12 that Ukrainian troops controlled about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory in Kursk Oblast, while President Volodymyr Zelensky said the next day that Ukraine holds 74 settlements. In response to the incursion, Russian leader Vladimir Putin called to expel Ukrainian forces from Russian soil. Alexei Smirnov, acting governor of Kursk Oblast, said that 121,000 people had been evacuated or left Kursk Oblast on their own.

The authorities are planning to evacuate 180,000 people from the region, he added.

Kursk incursion deals blow to Putin's prestige marking first ground invasion of Russia since World War II The 1,000 square kilometers Ukraine says it controls in Russia's Kursk Oblast amounts to a tiny share of Russia's massive terrain. Yet, politically, the surprise Ukrainian move poses one of the biggest challenges to Russian President Vladimir Putin's grip on power.

The stunning operation, conducted...