War in Ukraine: pro-Kiev militants call on residents of Russian border towns to evacuate

“Leave the city immediately. » Russian volunteers fighting for Ukraine announced attacks on two major Russian cities near the Ukrainian border on Wednesday and called on civilians to leave.

“We are forced to strike military positions stationed in the cities of Belgorod and Kursk,” three pro-Kiev military formations—the Russian Legion of Freedom, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion—reported on Telegram.

“To avoid civilian casualties, we urge everyone to leave these cities immediately,” they continued.

Several people were injured near Belgorod

The announcement came a day after an invasion of the border areas of Belgorod and Kursk that the units claimed and which the Russian Defense Ministry said it had “repelled.”

However, as a result of the invasion of the Belgorod region, a territorial defense employee was killed and ten civilians were injured, its Russian governor said.

Captured village

In the Kursk region, the Russian Legion of Freedom, which has been behind previous armed incursions, announced on Tuesday that it had captured the border village of Tiotkino.

The militants, who claim to be Russian, said they “destroyed” Russian armored vehicles and that Moscow’s forces “quickly abandoned” the village, leaving behind heavy weapons.

According to Mayor Igor Kutsak, Russian regional authorities then ordered the closure of schools in the city of Kursk “due to recent events.”