09:46
Russia orders evacuation again after Ukrainian attacks
Russia again ordered the evacuation of a border area on Monday morning in connection with Ukrainian attacks. Residents of the town of Krasnaya Yaruga in Belgorod province have to leave because Ukrainian soldiers are carrying out attacks there.
On Thursday, Ukrainian forces entered the border province of Kursk. Since then, 76,000 Russians have been ordered to evacuate. Russia says it has halted Ukraine’s advance in that province, but the Kremlin is now reporting attacks on Belgorod, further south. Russia said it shot down five Ukrainian drones over the area on the night of Sunday into Monday; there were 11 in Kursk.
With the cross-border attacks, kyiv appears to want to convince Western allies that the country is still capable of carrying out major military operations, despite a shortage of troops and ammunition. It was the first time since the war between the two countries broke out in 2022 that Ukraine carried out an invasion of Russian territory. The operation is seen as a humiliation for the Kremlin; the Russian Foreign Ministry has therefore warned that kyiv can expect a “tough” response.
Maartje Geels
08:10
Welcome to this live blog on the war in Ukraine.
This was the biggest news story on the war in Ukraine last week:
• Ukraine is launching an offensive in the Russian border region of Kursk. Last Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed “the transfer of the war to the territory of the aggressor.” Another residential complex in the city of Kursk was damaged in the recent attacks on Sunday. According to Russian authorities, at least thirteen people were injured. More than 76 thousand people have been evacuated from the border area of the Kursk region.
• The European Union describes Ukrainian operations in the Russian border region of Kursk as part of a “legitimate defensive war,” said the spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. According to the EU, Ukraine can defend itself, including by “attacking the enemy on its territory.”
• Niger immediately broke all diplomatic ties with Ukraine. The African country accuses Kiev of supporting ‘terrorist groups’. The neighbouring country Mali also previously broke off relations with Ukraine because it allegedly helped Tuareg rebels in their fight against the Malian government army. At the end of last month, not only were many Malian government troops killed in a battle with the separatists, but also many Russian mercenaries.
Read the full live blog from last week here.