Russia evacuates over 76,000 in Kursk region amid Ukraine incursion, TASS cites emergency ministry

An aerial view shows smoke rising above the ground, what is said to be a Russian army strike on a Ukrainian tank in the area bordering Ukraine in the Kursk region, Russia, in this still image from video released August 9, 2024. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - More than 76,000 people have been evacuated from areas bordering Ukraine in Russia's Kursk region, the local emergency ministry was quoted by the Tass news agency as saying on Saturday, following Ukraine's incursion into the region this week.

Russia is fighting intense battles against thousands of Ukrainian troops as deep as 20 km (12 miles) inside the Kursk region after Ukraine's biggest attack on Russian sovereign territory since the start of the war in 2022.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Potter)