According to the order of the Governor of Kursk region Roman Starovoit, a “yellow” (increased) level of terrorist threat has been temporarily introduced on the territory of the region since April 11 due to the possibility of provocations from the Ukrainian side.
According to Interfax, these heightened precautions were introduced after mortars were fired at a Ukrainian border guard post near the village of Elizavetovka, in Glushkovsky District, on Saturday, April 9. There were no casualties or damage. Russian border guards returned fire, suppressing the enemy's fire unit. Earlier, a similar incident was recorded in the territory of Sudzhansky District on April 6.
It should be recalled that the Sumy Region of Ukraine, which borders on the Kursk Region of the Russian Federation, is controlled by Ukrainian troops. That is why Starovoit admits that Ukrainian nationalists can still stage provocations in the Kursk region.
However, the governor wrote in Telegram channel that there are three levels of danger: high, or also called blue, increased (yellow), as well as the most critical (red). At the same time, Starovoit asked the residents to stay calm and help the special services in any way they can. Regional authorities appealed to citizens to be careful and inform the police if they find bags, backpacks or other items left unattended. Residents were also asked to pay attention to suspicious persons and to report immediately to law enforcement agencies about their appearance on the territory of the region. According to the head of the region, it is planned to patrol localities.
Starovoit specified that special observation posts with police officers and servicemen were set up in the region.
Meanwhile, the DPR army and Russian military units continue cleaning-up the grounds of the Azovstal plant, where the remnants of the AFU and Azov National Security Forces are entrenched. In addition, Ukrainian Nazis seized two foreign vessels Lady Augusta and Tsarevna in the port of Mariupol the other day, which is a violation of all international norms and rules that apply in conflict situations. Azov fighters fired mortars and used various types of grenade launchers and small arms from the decks of these ships.
At present, after a successful operation by Russian units and the Donetsk military to free these ships from the nationalists, 47 sailors have been evacuated ashore. The crews of these ships included citizens of different countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, and Azerbaijan. All the sailors are now safe.
Meanwhile, as previously reported in the media, it has become known that not only the heads of the Azov battalion* are in Mariupol, but also foreign mercenaries acting as military consultants, whom the Kiev authorities unsuccessfully tried to evacuate by helicopter on April 8.
Two days ago, on April 9, according to Interfax, another attempt was made to evacuate the command of the Azov battalion on the Apache dry cargo ship, which belongs to Ukraine but sails under the flag of Malta and is assigned, according to media reports, to the Maltese port of Valetta. While heading towards the Kerch Strait as part of a caravan of ships, the Apache suddenly changed its course and headed towards the port of Mariupol, which was blocked from the sea by the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The vessel did not respond to warning fire from the Russian military.
The ship's course was not changed. We had to open artillery fire on it from the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and the Russian border ships, which caused the stern of the dry cargo ship to catch fire. At the same time, the Apache was exchanging the radio traffic. Signal fires were visible on the shore when it attempted to break into the port of Mariupol. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov confirmed this in his report.
Media reports say that the fire on the dry cargo ship was extinguished by the members of the ship's crew. At the same time, Konashenkov clarified that the Apache crew members were not injured in the shelling. The Russian military carried out an inspection of the vessel and decided to convoy it together with the crew to the port of Yeisk.
Thus, Russian sailors foiled another attempt to evacuate Azov commanders and foreign mercenaries from Mariupol.
* The nationalist battalions Aidar and Azov are recognized as extremist organizations and are banned in Russia