Update: The head of Glushkovo, Vasily Khudyakov, deleted and apologized for his earlier evacuation announcement, saying “no forced evacuation” is taking place and that the situation is under control. The apology post was also later deleted.
Russian troops will evacuate residents from the village of Glushkovo in the country’s western Kursk region, the village head, Vasily Khudyakov, announced on Monday evening.
“Due to the worsening situation in the village, residents currently there must temporarily evacuate,” Khudyakov wrote on social media.
Glushkovo lies about seven kilometers (four miles) from the Russian-Ukrainian border. According to the 2010 census, it had just over 200 residents.
Earlier on Monday, officials in Ukraine’s Sumy region urged residents of two nearby Ukrainian border towns, Bilopillia and Vorozhba, to evacuate immediately. The announcement followed reports from Russian Telegram channels that Ukrainian forces had attempted an overnight breakthrough near the village of Tetkino, in the Kursk region, close to the border.