The United Nations has expressed willingness to send a humanitarian mission to Ukrainian-controlled territories in Russia’s Kursk region, but emphasized that such action would require permission from the Russian Federation, VoA reports.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric responded to an invitation from Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for UN and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) representatives to visit the area “for humanitarian response measures.” The Ukrainian ministry stressed its adherence to international humanitarian law obligations in the captured Russian territories and called on the UN and ICRC to participate in humanitarian response efforts and monitoring.
However, the UN said it would do so only if there is approval from Russia, effectively denying its own agency.
This development comes amid ongoing Ukraine’s military operations in the Kursk Oblast, where Ukrainian forces entered on 6 August, claiming control over dozens of Russian settlements. The situation has led to the evacuation of over 130,000 people from border areas, according to official Russian data.
The ICRC has not yet responded to Ukraine’s invitation.
Ukraine’s request for international monitoring comes as both Ukrainian and Russian forces engage in ongoing military operations in the region. Recent reports indicate Russian counterattacks against Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region, while Ukrainian forces opened a new direction of incursion, threatening to outflank Russians.
The situation in Kursk adds a new dimension to the ongoing war, now taking place both on Russian and Ukrainian territories.
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