'Relocate Temporarily': India Issues Advisory For Indian Nationals in Russia

Indian embassy in Russia has advised nationals living in Bryansk, Belgorod, and Kursk regions to relocate temporarily and excercise necessary precautions.

The Indian Embassy in Russia on Wednesday issued an advisory for Indian nationals residing in Bryansk, Belgorod, and Kursk regions. This comes after Ukraine's Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Kyiv's forces control of 1,000 sq km Russian territory as the country continued to "conduct an offensive operation in the Kursk region".

According to the advisory, Indians in these three Russian regions have been asked to exercise necessary precautions due to the recent security incidents here. The Indian nationals have also been advised to temporarily relocate outside these regions.

"Any Indian national or student requiring any assistance may contact the Embassy at email: edu1.moscow@mea.gov.in or telephone number +7 965 277 3414," the advisory stated.

After what is said to be the largest foreign incursion into Russia since World War II, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had brought war to others, and now it was coming back to Russia.

On the other hand, Zelenskyy's counterpart reacted to this development, calling it a "major provocation" and ordered Russian forces to "kick the enemey out of our territory".

As per a report by BBC, 28 villages in Kursk region fell to Ukrainian forces after the latter launched a surprise attack on Russia last Tuesday, leading to mass evacuations.

At least 12 civilians were killed and the "situation remains difficult", acting governor of Kursk region Alexei Smirnov told BBC.

Russia had declared a "federal-level emergency" in Kursk after Ukraine's large-scale incursion that witnessed hundreds of Ukrainian troops crossing the border.

Earlier today, Belgorod, which is another border region of Russia, declared a state of emergency as the situation remained "extremely difficult" due to daily shelling by Kyiv, BBC reported.

Belgorod govenpr Vyacheslav Gladkov stated that the Ukrainian incursion in the region left "houses destroyed, civilians dead, and injured".

 In a video shared on Telegram, Gladkov stated that he would appeal the government to declare "federal level" emergency in Belgorod like Kursk.

A statement issued by the Belgorod governor on Wednesday morning also stated that there had been 23 drone attacks in the region in 24 hours.

Meanwhile, Russia said that it had shot down around 117 drones overnight, which targeted four regions inclduing Voronezh, Belgorod, Kursk, and Nizhny Novgorod.