Since August 6, Russian forces have been engaged in fighting with Ukrainian troops in Kursk, a region bordering Ukraine. The conflict began when a large contingent of Ukrainian soldiers breached the border, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people.
Acting Governor Alexei Smirnov stated on Telegram that the city of Kursk had been instructed to identify key locations for placing concrete modular shelters in busy areas. He noted that around 60 bus stations would be equipped with these shelters.
Smirnov also shared a photo of one of these concrete structures being transported by truck. Kursk is a city with a population of approximately 450,000.
The governor further mentioned that similar shelters would be installed in the towns of Zheleznogorsk and Kurchatov.
Kurchatov, home to the Kursk nuclear power plant, has been at the center of Russian claims that Ukraine plans to target the facility—allegations that Kyiv has denied.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is expected to visit the nuclear plant at the end of August.
In a separate report on Thursday, a Russian official said that Moscow’s forces had successfully repelled an attempt by Ukrainian troops to breach the border in the western Bryansk region, located about 240 kilometers (150 miles) from the ongoing clashes in Kursk.
At the same time, Russian forces continue to push forward with their offensive in eastern Ukraine, aiming to fully seize control of the Donetsk region.