Ukraine said Wednesday its army would allow the evacuation of civilians from Russia’s Kursk region into Russia and Ukraine and create a buffer zone in the area where its troops launched a major offensive.
Catching Russian troops by surprise, the Ukrainian army entered Russia’s Kursk region on August 6, capturing dozens of settlements and triggering the evacuation of tens of thousands on both sides of the border.
“The creation of a buffer zone in the Kursk region is a step to protect our border communities from daily hostile shelling,” Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said.
Ukrainian officials have said the Kursk offensive was an act of self-defense against Russian troops, whose full-scale invasion stretches into its third year.
Klymenko made the announcement after a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials.
“Our military forces plan to… open humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians: both in the direction of Russia and of Ukraine,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said after the meeting.
She also said there were plans for humanitarian operations, including with the help of international organizations, in the area.
Ukrainian rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the Ukrainian officials had “discussed access for representatives of the ICRC, the UN, and other impartial international organisations to carry out humanitarian activities.”