The Russian authorities declared a state of federal emergency in the Belgorod region amid the fighting with Ukrainian troops in the neighbouring Kursk region.

The decision was announced on Thursday by the Russian Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov at a government meeting in Moscow.

"I propose to attribute the emergency situation that has arisen in the Belgorod region to a federal emergency and establish a federal level of response," he said.

"The situation in the region remains complex and tense. As a result of terrorist attacks by Ukrainian armed groups in the Belgorod region, residential houses and infrastructure facilities have been damaged, there are dead and injured citizens," Kurenkov added.

Military advance

The incursion began on the night of August 5-6, when Ukrainian troops entered Russia's Kursk region near the city of Sudzha.

On August 12, Zelenskyy confirmed that the incursion was a Ukrainian military operation, though he did not elaborate on its objectives.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the incursion, calling it a "terrorist attack."

Independent verification of claims from both sides is difficult due to the ongoing war.