Its district governor BelgorodRussian region neighboring the Ukrainian territoryannounced today Wednesday that it is declaring a state of emergency, citing the “extremely difficult” situation due to the ongoing Ukrainian shelling.

“The situation in our region, Belgorod, remains extremely difficult and tense, due to the shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces. Houses were destroyed, civilians were killed and injured,” regional governor Vychislav Gladkov said via Telegram.

“To guarantee better protection of the population and to offer further assistance to the victims, a state of emergency will be declared at the regional level” starting today, he added, stressing that Moscow is also asking Moscow to declare a state of emergency “at the federal level.”

He spoke of attacks by Ukrainian drones against two villages in the region — Sebekina and Ustinka. The authorities in the Kursk, Varonez and Bryansk regions also spoke of Ukrainian drone raids, however, assuring that they were shot down by Russian anti-aircraft defense during the night. The authorities at Kursk they also reported that four Ukrainian missiles were destroyed over the perimeter overnight.

Kiev launched an attack at night with 117 drones and 4 missiles

Russian air defenses destroyed 117 drones and four tactical missiles fired overnight from Ukraine targeting several regions, including Kursk, the Russian Defense Ministry announced today.

The missiles and 37 drones were destroyed over the Kursk region, the ministry said via the Telegram platform, while 37 drones were destroyed over the Voronezh region, among others.

The Russian ministry did not release a total figure for the drones and missiles launched by Russia.

The governor of the Voronezh region, Alexander Gushev, said that overnight Ukraine launched more than 35 drones against his region, which is several hundred kilometers south of Moscow.

“There were no casualties,” Gusev said on Telegram.

The Ukrainian hammering in Kursk continues – What Biden and Putin say

Ukrainian armed forces began a large-scale operation on August 6 in the Kursk region, which neighbors Varonez, and claim to have captured more than 1,000 square kilometers of Russian territory. Russian authorities admit they lost 28 communities and say Ukrainian territorial gains span a zone 40 kilometers wide and 12 kilometers deep.

According to AFP calculations based on data from Russian sources compiled by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian troops have advanced 800 kilometers into the Kursk region. By comparison, Russia has advanced 1,360 kilometers into Ukrainian territory since January 1, according to the AFP analysis.

According to a US official who spoke to the Reuters news agency, the purpose of the Ukrainian operation appears to be to force Russia to withdraw troops from areas of Ukraine to defend itself. US President Joe Biden said the situation “creates a real dilemma for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.”

The American president, in his first statements about the operation of the Ukrainian army, told reporters that Washington is in constant contact with Kiev – although until yesterday his administration assured that it had no involvement in the planning, preparation or conduct her.

As Russian President Putin sees it, the Ukrainian operation is intended to improve Kiev’s negotiating position when talks begin, as well as to slow the slow but steady advance of Russian forces on the eastern front in recent months.

According to a Russian blogger who follows developments in the war and uses the pseudonym Rybar, Ukrainian forces continue to attack in multiple directions, while Russian troops seek to pin them down and destroy their armored vehicles in particular, as they await further reinforcements.