Russia is building a bomb shelter in Kursk – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries

In the Russian region of Kursk, they are in the process of installing the first of several concrete shelters. This is what the governor of Kursk, Alexei Smirnov, wrote on Telegram. The shelters are to protect civilians from Ukrainian attacks on the region, after Ukraine suddenly and surprisingly entered Kursk on 6 August. Will not take Kursk city It is the cities of Kursk city, Zheleznogorsk and Kurchatov that will get such shelters. They must stand at bus stops and other places where many people usually gather, according to Smirnov. But Ukrainian forces are nowhere near the city of Kursk. They haven’t thought about that either, believes chief researcher Tor Bukkvoll at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI). – Ukraine only takes areas that are tactically useful for them now. They have no plans to keep them. And taking Kursk with its 450,000 inhabitants is not tactically wise, and hardly possible – it will only cost them dearly. Tor Bukkvoll is chief researcher at FFI and an expert on Ukrainian and Russian defense policy. Photo: Hanna Johre/news Nor do the inhabitants of Kursk need to be particularly afraid of air raids, Bukkvoll believes. – None of the parties in the war manage to use aircraft in that way either, because there is so much air defense on both sides. Panikreaksjon Bukkvoll believes there may be two reasons why Russian authorities have now set up bomb shelters in the city anyway. – It may be a panic reaction. Russia was completely caught off guard by the Ukrainian invasion, they had not prepared in any way, he says, before adding: – Or it could be that they want to create a sense of security for the population of the city. But it can go both ways. Building shelters in a panic now can give people the impression that Kursk is in danger. Smoke rises after an explosion in Glushkovo in Kursk, following a Ukrainian attack. The photo was shared by the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk. Photo: UKRAINE’S AIR FORCE COMMANDER MYKOLA OLESHCHUK / Reuters The new normal Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has said that the goal of the invasion of Kursk is to withdraw Russian forces from the Donbas in Ukraine back to Russia, and to create a buffer zone along the border to prevent Russian attacks against Ukrainian side. Until now, the Russians have seen the border with forces in Kursk, and focused on limiting the invasion, rather than striking back. But how long can President Putin tolerate Ukrainian forces being on Russian territory? – It depends on how long he manages to control public opinion, believes Bukkvoll. A Ukrainian soldier in the Russian village of Sudzja, which the Ukrainians have taken control of. Taking a city is something completely different, says Tor Bukkvoll. Photo: AP According to the independent online newspaper Meduza, sources inside the Kremlin believe that the Ukrainian invasion could continue for months. They want to convince the Russians that this is the new normal, and that the enemy will be overcome – but that this will take time, writes Meduza. But this is the biggest invasion of Russian territory since the Second World War. – It is clear that this does not look good from Putin’s side. If he cannot convince the people that he is in control here, he cannot sit and watch this for a long time, says Bukkvoll. Interested in foreign material? Listen to a recent episode of the Foreign Office’s podcast: Published 22 August 2024, at 20.46



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