The acting governor of the Russian region of Kursk announced on Friday the declaration of State of emergency in border areasin response to a Ukrainian incursion that began last Tuesday. According to local authorities, Russian forces have been trying to expel the invaders for more than 24 hours, without complete success so far.

“In the Kursk region The complex situation in the border areas remains. To mitigate the consequences of the incursion of enemy forces into the territory of the region, I have made the decision to declare a state of emergency as of August 7,” the governor announced through his official Telegram account.

The situation in the region has become critical, with air raid sirens being triggered repeatedly throughout the day. The latest alert, issued at 20:16 Moscow time, has not yet been lifted. Since the start of the incursion, thousands of people have left the region, and more than 600 have been accommodated in temporary shelters. The attacks have so far left 1,000 people dead. Five civilians killed and 31 injuredaccording to data from the Russian Ministry of Health.

The attack has been described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “large-scale provocation” and accused Ukraine of carrying out “indiscriminate bombings with different types of weapons, including missiles, against civilian buildings, residential buildings and ambulances.”

This event is reminiscent of the Ukrainian incursion last Marchwhen Russian forces claimed to have killed more than 100 enemy soldiers and destroyed six tanks. However, unlike that time, no pro-Ukrainian armed group has claimed responsibility for this attack.

In response, Russia launched a devastating attack at a supermarket in eastern Ukraine, near Donetsk, killing at least 14 people and leaving more than 40 injured. Ukraine has described the attack as “terrorism” and rescue efforts continue in the affected area.