Residents demand action as Kursk protests escalate
In Kursk, Russia, evacuated residents of the town of Sudzha demanded the evacuation of civilians who remained in the territory occupied by Ukrainians. "Admit that there is a war!" they shouted at local government representatives. The crowd also called for the punishment of generals responsible for the border security.
Refugees from Sudzha organised a spontaneous protest in Kursk. Dozens of people of various ages gathered at Red Square. Some came with children. One of the officials stated that about 120 people participated in the protest.
"Admit that there is a war!"
Anatoly Drogan, head of the department for cooperation with local authorities, conducted most of the conversation with those gathered. He first asked the protesters to "choose group leaders"—supposedly to hand them a copy of the collective statement and maintain contact with them in the future. Then, the official announced that the residents of Sudzha had organised an illegal gathering.
"I would like to see the initiators of this action because this is a public, illegal gathering," he said, which caused outrage among those gathered.
Drogan stated that the people gathered at the square were "being pushed to take actions that are against the law."
"There was a breach, the troops stationed there died"
"We live in a counter-terrorism operation mode (CTO), unfortunately, this does not depend on the government. The government did not press on enemies at the border; this is a war. It is not under the control of the authorities. There was a breach, and the troops stationed there died. Believe me, the culprits have already been detained. If it gives you any relief, the military personnel who committed [the breach], if they survived, will be punished," he said to the crowd.
The people demanded that the authorities acknowledge that "a war is being fought" in their area. They asked Drogan why he, and not Alexander Bogachev, head of the Sudzha region, came out to them, since he did not "say anything to the residents or gather his people" after the Ukrainian forces intruded.
Drogan said Russian authorities did not control the offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces; there was a "breakthrough," and the military personnel stationed there died. People were once again outraged and shouted that there were "conscripts with machine guns" at the border and "generals" should be punished. One of the participants stated that the authorities improperly organised the evacuation of Kursk oblast residents.
Putin assured Russian mothers that their children would not participate in direct military action and would not be near the front lines.
"Do you want to talk with us or shout? If [you want to] shout, we'll end now," the official replied. People were promised a meeting with the governor on Tuesday, 12th November.
Authorities pretend there is no war in the region
A few days ago, another protest took place in Kursk by residents of another border region. Residents of the Bolshevik Soldiers region claim that their homes were destroyed, although officials say that "the region is not being shelled."
On 18th October, information appeared that the authorities consider it "unreasonable" to pay for housing for Sudzha residents, as it might lead to "a significant outflow of the working population" from the region.
In August, the Ukrainian side attacked Russian border areas, taking control of dozens of villages in the Kursk oblast. The Ukrainian army claims its attacks are aimed at key Russian military infrastructure. From the areas occupied by Kyiv, 30,000 Russians were evacuated.
