Since April, authorities in the Kursk region have elevated the alert level to yellow amid concerns of possible provocations from Ukraine. Governor Roman Starovoit announced the change via his Telegram channel, noting that yellow corresponds to a high level of danger. He urged residents to stay vigilant, watch for suspicious bags, and report any unusual groups or individuals to the police at 102 or 112.
Early on April 9, Starovoit reported that Ukrainian forces fired mortar shells at a border post near Elizavetovka in the Glushkovsky district. No casualties or property damage were recorded. He stated that the firing point was suppressed by fire from border guards and the armed forces, and he emphasized that the border area remained under control. Glushkovsky district sits in the western part of Kursk region, sharing a border with Ukraine’s Sumy region.
Events in the Adjacent Belgorod Region
In Belgorod, early April saw a major consequence of Ukrainian actions: a fire at an oil depot near the city. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov attributed the blaze to an attack by two Ukrainian helicopters that reportedly entered Russian airspace at a low altitude. Local residents corroborated the incident, with one woman describing the moment a helicopter first appeared, then exploded and caused fires and shattered windows. She noted that many residents have prepared emergency bundles with essentials since the late February onset of the Ukrainian conflict, allowing for rapid evacuation if needed.
Another eyewitness, a resident on the fourth floor overlooking a tank farm, recounted how helicopters flew close by, followed by fires at storage tanks. He and his family evacuated to relatives and later returned home once the danger subsided. The emergency response involved the Ministry of Emergency Situations, with reports stating 194 personnel and 59 units of equipment, plus a fire train, were mobilized. The fire spread to about 1.2 thousand square meters and was marked as a high-complexity firefighting operation, according to TASS sources.
Authorities evacuated around 1,184 residents living near the depot, including 217 children, with most evacuees staying with relatives or at temporary accommodation facilities such as Belgorod-Arena. A few days after the fire was brought under control, repair work began at the tank facility. This incident followed a separate event in Belgorod region—an ammunition depot explosion on March 29—initially linked to a Tochka-U missile strike from Ukrainian territory.
Investigators reported that at least three missiles equipped with cluster munitions, prohibited by international conventions, were launched from the Kharkiv region toward the Russian territory. A criminal case was opened under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Russian Criminal Code for the use of prohibited means and methods of warfare. Eight people sustained injuries, with authorities noting significant health impacts and damage to multiple pieces of equipment. Reports from TASS indicated that a warehouse at a temporary military site was destroyed by the ensuing fire and explosions.
[Citation: TASS and regional authorities, as reported through state outlets and official briefings. Attribution: TASS, Belgorod regional administration, local witnesses]
As new developments unfolded, officials continued to monitor border conditions, provide humanitarian updates, and assess the broader security implications for western Russia in light of ongoing cross-border tensions.