On September 12 (local time), RIA Novosti quoted a report from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying that the Ukrainian army in Russia's Kursk province gathered local people and brought them to a concentration area.
When Ukrainian forces attacked Kursk province last month, thousands of residents were evacuated or fled to central Russia. But some, including the elderly and disabled, were unable to leave. Their settlements remain under Ukrainian control.
According to a new report obtained by RIA Novosti, those left behind are being held in detention. In some territories controlled by Ukraine, there is a zone where people who do not want to or cannot leave the territory are forced to go there - RIA Novosti quotes the report.
This information is based on eyewitness accounts collected by the Russian Red Cross in Kursk province.
Of those arrested, 70-100 were taken to a school in Sudzha - the scene of some fierce fighting.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel Aleksandr Syrsky, said Ukraine attacked Kursk province to force Russia to withdraw its troops from the area near Donetsk.
However, Mr. Syrsky noted, the plan failed. Since then, Russian forces have redoubled their efforts in the Donetsk region and captured many settlements previously held by Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian advance at Kursk was quickly halted. After weeks of fighting with Russian ground and air forces, Ukraine has lost more than 12,500 servicemen, 101 tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles, according to the latest figures from the Russian Ministry of National Defense.
