The Russian Ministry of Emergencies' (EMERCOM) press office informed Sputnik on Friday that the situation in the Kursk Region of Russia has been declared an emergency at the federal level.

In a statement, the EMERCOM office said, "On 9 August, an extraordinary meeting of the government commission for the prevention and elimination of emergencies and ensuring fire safety took place. On the agenda of the discussion was the situation in the territory of the Kursk Region due to the attack by the Ukrainian armed forces. A response at the federal level has been established in the region." 

Since the beginning of their attempted invasion in Russia's Kursk Region, Ukrainian military units have lost up to 945 soldiers and 102 military vehicles; however, the operation to defeat forces is still ongoing, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday.

The statement added, "In total, since the beginning of hostilities in the Kursk direction, the enemy's losses have amounted to 945 servicepeople and 102 units of armored vehicles, including 12 tanks, 17 armored personnel carriers, six infantry fighting vehicles, 67 armored combat vehicles," adding that Kiev lost up to 280 soldiers and 27 military vehicles in the past 24 hours.

Read next: Western experts question rationale behind Ukrainian attack on Kursk

"The operation to defeat formations of the Ukrainian armed forces continues," the Russian ministry said, adding that the Russian military was still thwarting Ukraine's attempts to invade the Kursk Region.

Over the past 24 hours, the Russian military has stopped attempts by Ukrainian forces to encroach further into Russian territory in the Kursk Region, according to the ministry.

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Russian authorities on Thursday already ordered the evacuation of the vicinity of the Lipetsk region, located hundreds of kilometers away from the Ukrainian border, after a reportedly "massive" drone attack caused a fire at a Russian military airfield.

Massive explosions coming from the Lipetsk air base after UAVs struck the area.

Local authorities have declared a state of emergency, residents of 4 settlements located near the airfield are being evacuated. Public transport in the city is not running.

Source: Astra pic.twitter.com/XiuwlRzroN

— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) August 9, 2024

Lipetsk is located 330 kilometers deep into Russian territory and neighbors Kursk, where Ukrainian forces launched a large-scale cross-border offensive just days ago. 

According to the ministry, the Russian air and missile forces have also been targeting Ukrainian military reserves in the Sumy region. 

This comes after Russian air defense systems successfully intercepted on Thursday two Ukrainian drones over the Kursk and Oryol regions, Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed, a couple of days after Kiev launched a large-scale cross-border offensive into Russian territory.

Meanwhile, former Ukrainian Chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence Yuriy Pavlov has been indicted in absentia by the Russian Investigative Committee for crimes committed in the Donbass in 2014–2015, the agency's press office informed Sputnik on Friday.

Alexander Bastrykin, the chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee, called a meeting in Lugansk.

The office relayed, "Based on collected evidence, former First Deputy Commander of National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Krivenko, as well as former Chief of Main Directorate of Intelligence of Defense Ministry of Ukraine Yuriy Pavlov, who stayed in these positions in 2014-2015, have been indicted in absentia."

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kiev of launching a large-scale provocation, pointing out that Ukrainian troops were indiscriminately shelling Russian regions, targeting civilian infrastructure and ambulances.