Ukraine advances: Civilians in lgov defy mayor's call to stay

There is no need to evacuate people from our area — announced Sergey Korostelyov, the mayor of Lgov, on his VKontakte page, where fighting is taking place just a few miles away. This is a response to the rising tension among the city's residents as the Ukrainian army approaches.

The war in Ukraine has been ongoing for two and a half years. During this time, we have observed several significant breakthroughs on both sides. However, in recent weeks, there has been a noticeable slowdown in offensive actions and a focus on a few small sections of the front line.

Now, there are many indications that August will bring another breakthrough for the Ukrainian side. For several days, there has been increasing talk of the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has moved into Russia, pushing forward towards the city of Lgov and the city of Kursk with its population of several hundred thousand.

The situation is serious, as evidenced by the fact that the governor of the Kursk region, Alexey Smirnov, commented on his Telegram account. Due to the considerable threat, he declared a state of emergency in the region, effective from 7 August.

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Russia's tension is evident among the country's top politicians and local ones. Nevertheless, not everyone sees the threat of Ukraine's armed forces advancing onto Russian territory. The mayor of the currently frontline city of Lgov, Sergey Korostelyov, approaches it with great reserve.

There is no need to evacuate people from our area. The region is under a state of emergency, the situation remains tense but is under control – Korostelyov wrote on his VKontakte page, as quoted by the "Moscow Times". He also assured of increased patrols on the streets of Lgov, which has a population of 17,000.

At the same time, despite Korostelyov's declarations, tension remains high in the city. Residents complain that the number to call to request evacuation has stopped working. As a result, many people are deciding to flee on their own, causing traffic jams and blockages on the streets.