The ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has escalated dramatically, leading to one of the largest evacuations in Russia since World War II.
Nearly 190,000 people are being evacuated from the Kursk and Belgorod regions after Ukrainian forces crossed the border and advanced deep into Russian territory.
This Ukrainian offensive, involving about 1,000 soldiers with armored vehicles and heavy weapons, has caught both the Russian government and its citizens off guard.
This incursion, the largest of its kind in over 80 years, has had a profound impact on the affected regions.
According to the Frankfurter Rundschau, many evacuees are being relocated to the occupied Ukrainian region of Zaporizhia. This area has been under Russian control since May 2022, and the local administration has offered to house the refugees in sanatoriums and health resorts along the Sea of Azov.
However, the evacuation has caused widespread dissatisfaction among the Russian population.
Reports from the affected regions describe chaotic conditions, with little to no government support. Many residents are relying on each other to cope with the challenges of fleeing their homes.
This evacuation from Kursk and Belgorod is the largest organized movement of people in Russia since World War II. The last comparable event was during the Second Chechen War when around 300,000 people fled the conflict, though that evacuation largely occurred without state assistance.
