Putin promises response to Ukraine, sides trade blame for nuclear fire

Russian president Vladimir Putin says his country will respond to Ukraine's border incursions, as Kyiv's forces pushed across into a second region. 

Russia has ordered evacuations in the Belgorod region after Kyiv increased military activity near the border, just days after its biggest incursion into sovereign Russian territory since the start of the 2022 conflict. 

"The enemy is active on the border of the Krasnoyaruzhsky district," Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted on Telegram. 

"For the health and security of our population, we're beginning to move people who live in Krasnoyaruzhsky to safer places."

In a surprise attack last week, Ukraine broke through the Russian border into the Kursk region, to the north of Belgorod. On Monday, the governor or Kursk said Kyiv's forces had advanced 12 kilometers into Russian territory and now controlled 28 settlements in the region.

Russia destroyed five Ukrainian drones over Belgorod overnight, 11 over Kursk and two over Voronezh, according to its defense ministry. 

On Monday, Putin said Russia will respond to Ukraine's attacks, which he says are intended to intimidate Russian society and undermine stability. 

Speaking at a meeting of Russian officials, Putin said Kyiv's forces were trying to slow Moscow's advances in other parts of the front. He also said Ukraine is seeking to improve its negotiating position.  

Secret plan

The Ukrainian incursion is taking place under tight secrecy and its goals remain unclear, presumably to ensure its success. President Volodomyr Zelenskyy only broke the government's silence days after the attack began, indirectly acknowledging the military actions were to "restore justice" and "push the war out into the aggressor's territory." 

Russian officials say Ukraine's latest attacks on Russian sovereign territory are aimed at showing its Western supporters that Kyiv can still muster major military operations while trying to gain a bargaining chip ahead of potential ceasefire talks. 

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The incident however has also prompted some in Moscow to question why and how Ukraine was able to pierce the Kursk region so easily after more than two years of the conflict. 

Military experts say it's likely intended to draw Russian reserves away from the intense fighting in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region and to strengthen Kyiv's hand in any future negotiations with Russia. 

Power plant fire

A fire at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine has sparked a blame game between the two countries. 

Zaporizhzhia's governor accused Ukraine of causing the fire by shelling the nearby city of Enerhoda, while Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces had lit a fire on the premises. 

Both sides however, as well as the UN's nuclear watchdog, said there was no sign of a nuclear leak. 

"No impact has been reported for nuclear safety," said a statement from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has experts at the site. Both Kyiv and Moscow said one of the cooling towers had been damaged but there was no rise in radiation levels. 

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