INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russia's counteroffensive to retake Ukrainian-held territory in the southwestern Kursk region has been "stopped," a spokesman from Ukraine's
military administration in the region told AFP Wednesday.Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry said it had retaken several villages from
Ukraine in the Kursk region
Kyiv has thus far held on to large swathes of Russian territory since launching its surprise incursion in early August."They tried to attack
from the flanks, but they were stopped there," spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky told AFP
Russian forces had seen "some minor success" with their counteroffensive
"The Russians entered one of the settlements
They started fighting for another settlement, but that was it."He also said there were "several thousand" Russian civilians in areas
occupied by Ukrainian troops
"In some settlements, there are more than 100 people, more than 200, more than 500."In late August, Russian authorities said around 20,000
people remained in areas of the Kursk region held by Ukrainian forces
Overall, more than 150,000 people living in communities near the border have been forced to evacuate their homesDmytrashkivsky also claimed
that Russian strikes aimed at taking back its territory have killed "23 civilians" since the end of August, saying they are "dying with the
Ukrainian military."According to him, civilians are "not allowed to leave" because "the situation must be controlled." However, he said,
they are allowed to "move around" the area and can "visit each other, eat, gather somewhere, dig potatoes, work in the
garden."Dmytrashkivsky said that civilians could be allowed to leave for Russian-controlled territory in the event that Ukraine and Russia
"agree, through international organizations that deal with these issues, to open a green corridor under the supervision of
observers."Earlier this week, Kyiv asked the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross to observe the situation in
areas of Russia's Kursk its forces control.Dmytrashkivsky said that food is brought into those areas from northeastern Ukraine's Sumy region
"The Sumy regional administration allocates funds for bread on a weekly basis
