Two Russian regions bordering Ukraine ordered more evacuations yesterday as Moscow battled to contain an unprecedented push onto its territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the incursion into the Kursk region, which has caused more than 100,000 civilians to flee and embarrassed the Kremlin, is an attempt by Kyiv to stop Moscow's offensive in Donbas region and gain leverage in any future peace talks.
He spoke as Kursk authorities announced a widening of their evacuation area to include Belovsky district, home to some 14,000 people. The neighboring Belgorod region said it was evacuating its border district of Krasnoyaruzhsky.
The evacuations came after Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of Europe's largest and now Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine on Sunday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, which has a presence at the vast six-reactor facility, said its experts had seen strong, dark smoke coming from the northern area of the plant following explosions.
Russia says 12 civilians have been killed, 121 injured and 28 settlements taken over.
REUTERS
Smoke pours out of the Zaporizhzhia plant after the explosions. AfP
