Russia will evacuate thousands more people from Kursk region attacked by Ukraine, Reuters reported.
The district authorities have decided to evacuate the residents of the Glush district, said the governor of the Kursk district, Alexey Smirnov. The county directly borders Ukraine and has a population of about 20,000. The evacuation process will be coordinated by the police and other government agencies.
Ukraine said yesterday that its forces had advanced another one to two kilometers in the Kursk region and that its troops had finished clearing the Russian border town of Suja from Moscow's forces.
Russian officials said nearly 200,000 people were evacuated after the attack.
Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lyubinets spoke with Russian ombudsman Tatiana Moskalkova about the exchange of prisoners of war at a time when Ukrainian forces continue their offensive in Russia's Kursk region, Ukrinform reported. /p>
"As for communication with the Russian side, I can speak for myself. Yes, it was a proactive conversation on the part of the Russian counterpart on this issue. I really hope so, despite public statements in the Russian media that the Russians have already decided to suspend any exchange. We are now exchanging information. I also informed the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations that the Russian prisoners of war are protected, we are monitoring this situation and at any time Ukraine is ready to continue the exchange processes on the basis of the Geneva Convention," the Ukrainian representative said.
He added that Ukraine has priority categories in connection with which it is ready for exchange. "First and foremost, these are the seriously injured. In second place are Ukrainian women. And thirdly, all those who remain in captivity," said Lubinets.
He added that the offensive of the Ukrainian defense forces in the Kursk region forced Russia to change its position on the issue of the exchange of prisoners of war.
"I don't know how this situation will end, but the Ukrainian side is always ready to carry out an exchange process," he said.
Captured Russian soldiers from different parts of the Kursk region have expressed a desire to be exchanged with fighters of the Ukrainian "Azov" regiment, who are in Russian captivity.
Two people were injured as a result of the rocket attack in Odessa last night, directed against the port, announced the chairman of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleg Kiper.
The injured are a 39-year-old port employee and a 43-year-old grain truck driver, the regional governor informed. They were admitted to hospital with varying degrees of injuries.
Bulgarians in Odesa Region are the third largest in number and number over 150,000 people.
About 50-60 thousand Bulgarians live in the city of Odessa. The largest compact Bulgarian population is concentrated in the Bolgrad, Izmail and Belgorodnist regions.