Russia evacuates Belgorod district as it eyes Ukrainian cross-border threat

Russia has begun evacuations in the Belgorod region as it eyes rising military activity across the border in Ukraine.
The governor of Belgorod announced on Monday that he had ordered civilians in one district of the region to head for safety. Russian forces are battling a Ukrainian offensive in the neighbouring Kursk region.
Alexei Smirnov, the governor of Russia’s Kursk region, tells President Vladimir Putin that six days of a Ukrainian ground attack on his region has resulted in the loss of 28 settlements, 12 civilian deaths and the displacement of 121,000 people.
Kyiv’s forces have advanced 12km (7.4 miles) into Russian territory during an incursion that began on Tuesday, he said.
Russia has promised a strong reaction to what is Ukraine’s biggest incursion into Russia since Moscow invaded its neighbour in 2022.
More than 76,000 people have fled the border area in Kursk.

Al Jazeera’s Alex Gatopoulos reports.