Ukraine ready to aid displaced Russian citizens
Kyiv has also set up a telephone hotline to assist Russians seeking safety.
tvpworld.com
Kyiv ready to relocate Russian citizens displaced by Ukraine’s Kursk offensive
Ammar Anwer/mw
17.08.2024, 13:03
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Some of Ukraine’s legislators have announced readiness to assist in relocating Russian citizens displaced by Kyiv’s ongoing offensive in western Russia.
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On August 6, Ukrainian forces launched their deepest incursion into Russian territory since the conflict began in 2022, advancing into the Russian region of Kursk.
While the operation has put Russian forces on the backfoot, it has also led to a significant civilian displacement, with Russian authorities reporting that around 200,000 people are being evacuated from Kursk.
In light of the displacements, Ukraine has offered to help relocate the affected citizens and provide them with humanitarian assistance.
It has also set up a telephone hotline to assist Russians seeking safety.
“Ukraine shows its readiness to provide all necessary assistance to Russian refugees who have realized the consequences of the totalitarian regime for themselves and the irreversible nature of what is happening, that the war is continuing and has been dragged onto their territory. That is why they need help and they can receive it,” said Iryna Friz, a Ukrainian MP representing the European Solidarity party.
Volodymyr Fesenko from the Center for Political Studies told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), a U.S.-based media organization, that Kyiv aims to portray its Kursk operation positively.
“Since there is a civilian population on this territory, the Ukrainian side is demonstrating that we will act completely different from the Russians. We are not going to do what the Russians did in Bucha, Irpin, and many other areas of Ukraine,” he said, referring to the conduct exhibited by Russian troops during their occupation of Ukrainian territories following the 2022 invasion.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been evacuating its own civilians from border areas, including the northeastern region of Sumy, where Russian forces have intensified their attacks following Kyiv’s offensive.
An evacuee told RFE/RL: “Everything is destroyed or damaged. There’s no gas, no electricity, no water - nothing. This has happened since our [Ukrainian] offensive started.”
Ukrainian incursions continue
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces remain active in the Kursk region, with reports indicating that Kyiv has taken control of 82 settlements over an area of 1,150 square kilometers in the region.
On Saturday, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Ukrainian troops are strengthening their positions in the region and expanding the stabilized territory.
