A federal emergency has been declared in Russia's Belgorod Region following a cross-border incursion by Ukrainian forces, according to an announcement by Moscow's Emergencies Ministry. Last week, Kyiv launched its most significant assault on Russian territory since the conflict began in February 2022, targeting the Kursk Region.
Ukrainian troops currently control several settlements in Kursk, which led to the declaration of a federal emergency there on Friday. The decision to declare the emergency in Belgorod was made during a government meeting in Moscow last week, attended by Emergencies Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov and Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. (Related: Ukraine's offensive in Kursk region is the first direct attack on Russia since WWII.)
Local authorities are providing extensive assistance, but the scale of the damage has overwhelmed their resources, necessitating a federal response. This declaration enables individuals affected by the attack – those who have lost relatives, been injured, or suffered property damage – to seek compensation from the Russian government. It also grants authorities the power to restrict access to the emergency area, conduct mandatory evacuations and requisition personal vehicles for government use.
Moscow's Defense Ministry reported that Ukraine had lost up to 340 troops and 19 pieces of equipment, including five U.S.-made Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, in clashes over the past 24 hours in the border regions. Since the incursion began, Ukraine has reportedly lost approximately 2,640 servicemen and hundreds of pieces of military hardware, including 37 tanks and 32 armored personnel carriers. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that approximately 9,500 people have been evacuated from the conflict zone.
The ministry affirmed that efforts to neutralize Ukrainian armed units are ongoing as Russian President Vladimir Putin has denounced the incursion as a "terrorist attack."
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated on Telegram that access to five settlements will be closed and residents will be relocated with their belongings. Additionally, the village of Kolotilovka in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district will also be temporarily closed off.
In the meantime, Acting Governor of Kursk Alexey Smirnov reported that Ukrainian troops had destroyed a bridge across the Seim River, complicating the evacuation of civilians. Smirnov noted that he is coordinating with local administration and that the operational headquarters is working to address the situation, with further decisions to be announced.
NATO vows all-out support for Ukraine's offensive against Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden has vowed on behalf of NATO nations, to continuously provide Ukraine with urgently needed air defense systems, but would not yet consider taking the nation in as a member of the alliance.
The U.S. leader, kicking off a summit marking the 75th anniversary of NATO, said the donation of five air-defense systems by Germany, Italy, Romania, the Netherlands and the United States represented just one element of NATO's ongoing campaign to help Kyiv hold off a far larger, better-armed adversary.
"Make no mistake; Russia is failing," Biden claimed. "The war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country."
Leaders of the 32 nations, who descended upon the U.S. capital ahead of the multiday summit, are attempting to refocus attention away from Ukraine's gloomy battlefield outlook by highlighting ongoing alliance support for Kyiv. For Biden, the summit is a moment of intense scrutiny as he faces pressure over his readiness to serve another four years.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg sought to cast the stakes of the Ukraine conflict in historic terms, saying the opponents of democracy would benefit if Western nations did not make good in backing Kyiv's fight.
"There are no cost-free options with an aggressive Russia as a neighbor; there are no risk-free options in a war," he told leaders of the 32-nation summit. "Remember the biggest cost and the greatest risk will be if Russia wins in Ukraine; we cannot let that happen."
Ivo Daalder, who served as U.S. ambassador to NATO during the Obama administration, said the new support constituted a "significant step forward" that would thrust the alliance more directly into the day-to-day actions supporting Ukraine's military effort.
"It does bring Ukraine and NATO closer together on the practical and operational sense," Daalder said. "What it doesn't do is solve the strategic issue, which is: When will Ukraine become a member of NATO?"
The latest NATO proposal would offer Ukraine an "irreversible" path toward NATO membership, but it would also include extensive language about the need for Kyiv to make anti-corruption and good governance changes before it can join, 12 unnamed officials familiar with the conversations said.
That language was the result of an agreement struck by Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, the officials said, one that reflected Biden's ongoing reservations about Ukraine's path to NATO membership.
Biden initially rejected the plan to include the irreversibility language and declared in more than one Oval Office meeting that much work remained to be done to combat corruption before Ukraine could gain membership, two U.S. officials and one former official said.
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Watch the video below that talks about NATO endorsing Ukraine's invasion of Russia.
This video is from Rick Langley's channel on Brighteon.com.
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