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But they are getting few answers from the government.</h2> </header> <div class="article__byline byline "> <div class="row-flex"> <div class="col"> <div class="byline__details"> <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/author/anastasia-tenisheva" title="Anastasia Tenisheva" class="byline__author__image-wrapper"> <img class="byline__author__image" src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/thumb/d3/PhotoTenisheva.jpg" /> </a> <div class="byline__details__column"> <div class="byline__author"> By <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/author/anastasia-tenisheva" class="byline__author__name" title="Anastasia Tenisheva">Anastasia Tenisheva</a> </div> <time class="byline__datetime timeago" datetime="2025-02-20T16:27:00+03:00" y-use="Timeago"> Feb. 20, 2025 </time> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-auto"> <div class="byline__social"> <div class="social"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/20/weve-been-abandoned-desperate-relatives-seek-loved-ones-in-kyiv-occupied-kursk-as-peace-talks-loom-a87922" class="social__icon social__icon--facebook" target="_blank" title="Share on Facebook"><i class="fa fa-brands fa-facebook"></i></a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/?url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/20/weve-been-abandoned-desperate-relatives-seek-loved-ones-in-kyiv-occupied-kursk-as-peace-talks-loom-a87922&text=‘We've Been Abandoned’: Desperate Relatives Seek Loved Ones in Kyiv-Occupied Kursk as Peace Talks Loom" class="social__icon social__icon--x-twitter" target="_blank" title="Share on Twitter"><i class="fa fa-brands fa-x-twitter"></i></a> <a href="https://telegram.me/share/url?url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/20/weve-been-abandoned-desperate-relatives-seek-loved-ones-in-kyiv-occupied-kursk-as-peace-talks-loom-a87922" class="social__icon social__icon--telegram" target="_blank" title="Share on Telegram"><i class="fa fa-paper-plane"></i></a> <a href="https://wa.me/?text=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/20/weve-been-abandoned-desperate-relatives-seek-loved-ones-in-kyiv-occupied-kursk-as-peace-talks-loom-a87922" class="social__icon social__icon--whatsapp"><i class="fa fa-whatsapp" target="_blank" title="Share on WhatsApp"></i></a> <a href="mailto:?subject=Shared: ‘We've Been Abandoned’: Desperate Relatives Seek Loved Ones in Kyiv-Occupied Kursk as Peace Talks Loom&body=An article from The Moscow Times: https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/20/weve-been-abandoned-desperate-relatives-seek-loved-ones-in-kyiv-occupied-kursk-as-peace-talks-loom-a87922" class="social__icon social__icon--email"><i class="fa fa-envelope" target="_blank" title="Share with email"></i></a> <a href="https://flipboard.com" data-flip-widget="shareflip" class="social__icon social__icon--flipboard" title="Share on Flipboard"><img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/img/flipboard_mrrw.png" /></a> <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/20/weve-been-abandoned-desperate-relatives-seek-loved-ones-in-kyiv-occupied-kursk-as-peace-talks-loom-a87922/pdf" class="social__icon social__icon--pdf"><i class="fa fa-file-pdf-o" target="_blank" title="Download as PDF"></i></a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <figure class="article__featured-image featured-image"> <img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/article_1360/5f/AFP__20241022__36KD46E__v1__HighRes__RussiaUkraineConflictKursk.jpg" /> <figcaption class=""> <span class="article__featured-image__caption featured-image__caption"> Kursk region refugees crowd at a Russian Red Cross temporary aid point in the Kursk city center. </span> <span class="article__featured-image__credits featured-image__credits"> Andrei Borodulin / AFP </span> </figcaption> </figure> <div class="article__content-container"> <div class="article__content" y-name="article-content"> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--html article__block--column "> <p><span>Irina last spoke to her parents who live in Russia’s Kursk region six months ago, before Ukrainian troops stormed across the border and seized dozens of square kilometers of land.</span></p> <p><span>Since then, she has received no word on what happened to the elderly couple in their 70s.</span></p> <p><span>“I called my parents [before the incursion]. They said there was heavy shelling, but they thought things would calm down,” said Irina, whose name has been changed for safety reasons.</span></p> <p><span>“By the time I was trying to assess the situation and see if I could go there, it became clear that leaving the [occupied] area was still an option, but going there was no longer possible,” she recalled in a phone interview with The Moscow Times. </span></p> <p><span>Unable to pick up her parents herself, Irina also said that volunteers and soldiers could not evacuate them because their village was one of the closest settlements to Ukraine. </span></p> <p><span>After searching for them in the regional capital of Kursk, hoping they had managed to escape the battlefield — but with no success — Irina is now bombarding Russian authorities with official requests for information, but also to no avail.</span></p> <p><span>Like Irina, hundreds of Kursk residents have also been looking for their loved ones who remain in territory taken by Ukrainian forces.</span></p> <p><strong>What is happening in occupied Kursk?</strong></p> <p><span>Dozens of Kursk settlements near the border have been under Kyiv’s control for months. </span></p> <p><span>The Kyiv-occupied areas of the Kursk region are </span><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250211-ukraine-prepared-to-swap-territory-with-russia-in-peace-negotiations-zelensky-says"><span>expected</span></a><span> to be one of Ukraine’s main bargaining chips in the upcoming peace talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.</span></p> <p><span>During the early days of their August incursion, Ukrainian forces advanced up to 35 kilometers into the Kursk region. By Feb. 5, Russian forces had regained about 57% of this area, or roughly 655 square kilometers, </span><a href="https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/ukraine%E2%80%99s-kursk-incursion-six-month-assessment"><span>according to</span></a><span> the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War. A senior Russian army general <a href="https://www.dw.com/ru/genstab-vs-rf-obavil-o-vozvrasenii-pod-kontrol-rf-64-kurskoj-oblasti/a-71678872">said</a> Thursday that Russia had retaken 64% of the occupied Kursk region.</span><span></span></p> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--image article__block--column "> <figure class="article__image"> <img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/1360/70/62AFP__20240816__36EE688__v2__HighRes__TopshotRussiaUkraineWarConflict.jpg" alt=" Elderly residents sit beside a sign that reads "There are civilians in the basement, no military" in Sudzha, Kursk region. Yan Dobronosov / AFP " /> <figcaption> <span class="article__image__caption">Elderly residents sit beside a sign that reads "There are civilians in the basement, no military" in Sudzha, Kursk region.</span> <span class="article__image__credits">Yan Dobronosov / AFP</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--html article__block--column "> <p><span>Kursk residents who could not evacuate during the early August assault — mostly from villages surrounding the town of Sudzha, located less than 10 kilometers from the Russia-Ukraine border — now remain in territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.</span></p> <p><span>The Moscow Times could not independently verify the current conditions for Russian civilians in areas under Ukrainian control.</span></p> <p><span>Locals who appeared in footage </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbnVxcI5K4k&list=PL7nuecNRGnOYOIMKw_NNTnbv7d2LH3Qpl&index=9"><span>released</span></a><span> by Kyiv’s side claimed that Ukrainian troops treated them well, provided food supplies and ensured access to essential medicines. A video published by Ukrainian TRO Media, which films in Kursk, also </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77f8AA63W7s&list=PL7nuecNRGnOYOIMKw_NNTnbv7d2LH3Qpl&index=11"><span>shows</span></a><span> Ukrainian forces distributing bread, tea and matches to civilians. </span></p> <p><span>Most of the people featured in the videos are elderly. Some of them report that their homes had been destroyed, forcing them to stay with relatives, friends or in a boarding school in Sudzha where dozens of civilians were sheltering. The school was </span><a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/02/russia-and-ukraine-trade-blame-for-attack-on-kursk-school-a87830"><span>struck</span></a><span> this month, with Russia and Kyiv trading blame for the attack.</span></p> <p><span>While most of those filmed by Ukraine send messages to their loved ones, saying they are alive or searching for their relatives, some also voice their political discontent.</span></p> <p><span>“The Russians left me without a home, the Russians burned down my house… Russians are killing Russians… The Ukrainian soldiers treat us very well,” a man who identified himself as Sudzha resident Anatoly Golovnev </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrw_Jo3iT3s&list=PL7nuecNRGnOYOIMKw_NNTnbv7d2LH3Qpl&index=15"><span>told</span></a><span> a Ukrainian film crew.</span></p> <p><span>All of the people shown in these videos are individuals living under occupation, who along with prisoners of war are protected from “public curiosity” under </span><a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/geneva-convention-relative-treatment-prisoners-war"><span>international humanitarian law</span></a><span>.</span></p> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--article article__block--column "> <aside class="article__related-article"> <span class="label related-article__label label--default">news</span> <a data-id="in-article-block" class="related-article__inner" href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/23/over-100-russians-evacuated-to-ukraine-after-deadly-kursk-region-strike-washington-post" title="Over 100 Russians Evacuated to Ukraine After Deadly Kursk Region Strike – Washington Post"> <h3 class="related-article__title"> Over 100 Russians Evacuated to Ukraine After Deadly Kursk Region Strike – Washington Post </h3> <span class="related-article__cta">Read more</span> </a> </aside> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--html article__block--column "> <p><span>Russia paints a different picture of the reality under Ukrainian control.</span></p> <p><span>In a video recorded by the state-run RIA Novosti news agency, two women recently evacuated by Russian forces from the Kursk region village of Nikolaev-Daryino </span><a href="https://riamediabank.ru/media/8852695.html"><span>said</span></a><span> they “survived as best as they could.”</span></p> <p><span>“[We were] without communication, water, electricity and heat,” they said, adding that allegedly Ukraine also deliberately destroyed their stockpiled food.</span></p> <p><span>Relatives of those trapped in Ukrainian-held areas said the only way to reach them was through Ukrainian soldiers, making it impossible to get an unbiased account of the situation for civilians from either side.</span></p> <p><span>Ukraine this month launched a new series of assaults in Kursk, </span><a href="https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-ato/3956815-kurska-operacia-moze-stati-vazlivou-castinou-peregovornogo-procesu-zelenskij.html"><span>defending</span></a><span> the incursion as a "very important operation" in possible negotiations with Moscow. Russia’s Defense Ministry repeatedly </span><a href="https://t.me/mod_russia/48773"><span>said</span></a><span> that its troops “continue to crush Ukrainian forces” in the region.</span></p> <p><strong>Missing in Kursk: official vs. family counts</strong></p> <p><span>There is no independently verified information on the number of Kursk residents who remain trapped in the territory taken by Ukraine.</span></p> <p><span>In early January, Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova </span><a href="https://t.me/ombudsmanrf/5955"><span>released</span></a><span> a list of 517 Kursk region residents who had gone missing after Ukraine’s offensive.</span></p> <p><span>Kursk residents </span><a href="https://t.me/ostorozhno_novosti/32840"><span>criticized</span></a><span> the list, which included names of relatives who reported the missing, incomplete names like “Grandmother of Litvinova E.G.,” and at least one woman who was killed during the incursion.</span></p> <p><span>“We [relatives] have no idea how this list was compiled or why it was published. But, of course, we are not interested in the list itself — we understand that to organize a humanitarian mission or open an evacuation corridor, a complete and accurate list of people who are there is needed,” Irina told The Moscow Times.</span></p> <p><span>In an apparent attempt to calm the public, acting Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein </span><a href="https://t.me/Hinshtein/9103"><span>said</span></a><span> last month that the list “was not exhaustive.” Regional police had received reports of at least 1,174 missing persons, 240 of whom were found, he said.</span></p> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--image article__block--column "> <figure class="article__image"> <img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/1360/0b/AFP__20240830__36F2229__v3__HighRes__TopshotRussiaUkraineConflict.jpg" alt=" Displaced people are seen in a center for displaced people following Ukraine's Kursk region offensive. Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP " /> <figcaption> <span class="article__image__caption">Displaced people are seen in a center for displaced people following Ukraine's Kursk region offensive.</span> <span class="article__image__credits">Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--html article__block--column "> <p><span>Kursk authorities have also </span><a href="https://kursk.ru/krb/"><span>launched</span></a><span> a registry for residents of border areas with whom relatives have lost contact — but the full list of missing persons and the number of those found were not made public. </span></p> <p><span>The spokesman for Ukraine's army operating in Kursk told AFP this month that over 1,500 Russians were still living in areas under Ukraine's control.</span></p> <p><span>At the same time, relatives of the missing have </span><a href="https://t.me/iz_kurska/30"><span>estimated</span></a><span> that as many as 3,000 people could be trapped in occupied areas.</span></p> <p><span>They also said that they had no verified data on how many people might have died — not only from shelling but also from other causes.</span></p> <p><span>“There is no medical care, no medicine supplies, no proper nutrition. Many people are hiding in cellars — you can imagine the risk of pneumonia, colds and other [diseases],” Irina told The Moscow Times.</span></p> <p><strong>Missing relatives<span>’ demands </span></strong></p> <p><span>One of the relatives’ main demands is the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians to evacuate from Ukrainian-held areas. But this corridor has not yet materialized despite Moscow and Kyiv’s stated readiness to facilitate it.</span></p> <p><span>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky </span><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250207-ukraine-offers-humanitarian-corridor-for-russian-civilians-trapped-in-seized-border-areas"><span>told</span></a><span> AFP on Tuesday that Kyiv was “ready to open a humanitarian corridor from the Kursk region to the depths of Russia in response to an official request” from Moscow.</span></p> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--article article__block--column "> <aside class="article__related-article"> <span class="label related-article__label label--default">news</span> <a data-id="in-article-block" class="related-article__inner" href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/02/23/it-feels-like-the-government-doesnt-need-us-displaced-kursk-residents-accuse-governor-of-ignoring-their-pleas" title="‘It Feels Like the Government Doesn’t Need Us’: Displaced Kursk Residents Accuse Governor of Ignoring Their Pleas"> <h3 class="related-article__title"> ‘It Feels Like the Government Doesn’t Need Us’: Displaced Kursk Residents Accuse Governor of Ignoring Their Pleas </h3> <span class="related-article__cta">Read more</span> </a> </aside> </div> <div data-id="article-block-type" class="article__block article__block--html article__block--column "> <p><span>Russian human rights commissioner Moskalkova </span><a href="https://tass.ru/obschestvo/23106577"><span>said</span></a><span> the evacuation issue could be “resolved positively,” adding that Moscow “was working closely with Ukraine.”</span></p> <p><span>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov </span><a href="https://t.me/youlistenedmayak/35270"><span>said</span></a><span> Russian authorities were doing “everything possible for Kursk residents,” but added that "the discussion of [the humanitarian corridor] depends on contacts being made through military channels, which undoubtedly cannot take place in a public setting."</span></p> <p><span>At least 46 civilians </span><a href="https://www.rbc.ru/politics/22/11/2024/674091ed9a79477832556018"><span>made</span></a><span> their way back to Russia in November. Around 100 civilians were reportedly evacuated to the Ukrainian city of Sumy, relatives </span><a href="https://x.com/agents_media/status/1889631308546191589"><span>told</span></a><span> the independent news outlet Agentstvo this week.</span></p> <p><span>In the meantime, relatives of those trapped in occupied areas launched a social media campaign appealing for help in rescuing their loved ones using the hashtag #YaMySudzha (I Am/We Are Sudzha).</span></p> <p><span>Irina said Kursk feels left behind by both Russian authorities and fellow citizens — a rare expression of anger toward the government at a time when dissent is harshly suppressed.</span></p> <p><span>“People are talking about how we’ve been abandoned,” she said. “And they’re saying it openly.” </span></p> </div> </div> <div class="article__bottom"> </div> <div class="article__tags"> Read more about: <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/tag/kursk" class="tag article__tags__tag" title="Kursk" > Kursk</a> , <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/tag/ukraine-war" class="tag article__tags__tag" title="Ukraine war" > Ukraine war</a> </div> <div class="hidden-md-up"> </div> <div class=""> <div class="newsletterbanner newsletterbanner--article mb-3" y-use="newsletter.Banner" data-newsletter="newsletter" data-url="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/newsletter" > <h4 class="newsletterbanner__title">Sign up for our free weekly newsletter</h4> <div class="newsletterbanner__teaser"> Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. 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East Ukraine </h5> </div> </a> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </section> </div> </div>  <section class="sidebar__section" y-name="banner"> <div class="banner" style=""> <div class="banner-inner"> <div y-use="Banner" data-pool="[{"type":"image","html":"","href":"https:\/\/www.indiegogo.com\/projects\/book-artists-against-the-kremlin-vol-1\/reft\/38208037\/banner","src":"https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/image\/original\/1f\/TMTBANNERS2.png"}]" data-viewports="["sm","md","lg","xl"]"></div> </div> </div> </section> </aside> </div> </div> </div>   <div class="container container--full py-3 mb-4" style="background-color: #fff;" y-name="banner"> <div class="align-center" style="line-height: 0"> <div style="max-width: 984px; margin: 0 auto;"> <div y-use="Banner" data-pool="[{"type":"image","html":"","href":"https:\/\/www.indiegogo.com\/projects\/book-artists-against-the-kremlin-vol-1\/reft\/38208037\/banner","src":"https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/image\/original\/c5\/TMTBANNERS1.png"},{"type":"image","html":"","href":"https:\/\/www.indiegogo.com\/projects\/book-artists-against-the-kremlin-vol-1\/reft\/38208037\/banner","src":"https:\/\/static.themoscowtimes.com\/image\/original\/da\/TMTBANNERS4.png"}]" data-viewports="["xs"]"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="container"> <section class="cluster"> <div class="cluster__header"> <h2 class="cluster__label header--style-3"> Read more </h2> </div> <div class="row-flex"> <div class="col-3 col-6-sm"> <div class="article-excerpt-default article-excerpt-default--ukraine_war" data-url="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/21/it-feels-like-the-government-doesnt-need-us-displaced-kursk-residents-accuse-governor-of-ignoring-their-pleas-a87686" data-title="‘It Feels Like the Government Doesn’t Need Us’: Displaced Kursk Residents Accuse Governor of Ignoring Their Pleas" > <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/01/21/it-feels-like-the-government-doesnt-need-us-displaced-kursk-residents-accuse-governor-of-ignoring-their-pleas-a87686" class="article-excerpt-default__link" title="‘It Feels Like the Government Doesn’t Need Us’: Displaced Kursk Residents Accuse Governor of Ignoring Their Pleas"> <div class=" article-excerpt-default__image-wrapper"> <figure> <img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/article_640/aa/2134234cdesfe.jpg" /> </figure> </div> <div class="article-excerpt-default__content"> <h3 class="article-excerpt-default__headline"> ‘It Feels Like the Government Doesn’t Need Us’: Displaced Kursk Residents Accuse Governor of Ignoring Their Pleas </h3> <div class="article-excerpt-default__teaser">One woman accused regional officials of intentionally delaying emergency support and avoiding direct meetings with residents.</div> <div class="readtime"> 2 Min read </div> </div> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col-3 col-6-sm"> <div class="article-excerpt-default article-excerpt-default--ukraine_war" data-url="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/11/26/russian-military-vows-retaliation-after-ukraine-launches-new-atacms-strikes-on-kursk-region-a87137" data-title="Russian Military Vows Retaliation After Ukraine Launches New ATACMS Strikes on Kursk Region" > <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/11/26/russian-military-vows-retaliation-after-ukraine-launches-new-atacms-strikes-on-kursk-region-a87137" class="article-excerpt-default__link" title="Russian Military Vows Retaliation After Ukraine Launches New ATACMS Strikes on Kursk Region"> <div class=" article-excerpt-default__image-wrapper"> <figure> <img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/article_640/f2/Kursk2018-01.jpg" /> </figure> </div> <div class="article-excerpt-default__content"> <h3 class="article-excerpt-default__headline"> Russian Military Vows Retaliation After Ukraine Launches New ATACMS Strikes on Kursk Region </h3> <div class="article-excerpt-default__teaser">Russia’s Defense Ministry said the two separate strikes damaged military equipment and injured personnel.</div> <div class="readtime"> 1 Min read </div> </div> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col-3 col-6-sm"> <div class="article-excerpt-default article-excerpt-default--ukraine_war" data-url="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/11/26/moscow-confirms-it-captured-british-man-fighting-for-ukraine-in-kursk-region-a87132" data-title="Moscow Confirms It Captured British Man Fighting for Ukraine in Kursk Region" > <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/11/26/moscow-confirms-it-captured-british-man-fighting-for-ukraine-in-kursk-region-a87132" class="article-excerpt-default__link" title="Moscow Confirms It Captured British Man Fighting for Ukraine in Kursk Region"> <div class=" article-excerpt-default__image-wrapper"> <figure> <img src="https://static.themoscowtimes.com/image/article_640/58/Former_British_Army_soldier_James_Scott_Rhys_Anderson_3333.jpg" /> </figure> </div> <div class="article-excerpt-default__content"> <h3 class="article-excerpt-default__headline"> Moscow Confirms It Captured British Man Fighting for Ukraine in Kursk Region </h3> <div class="article-excerpt-default__teaser">A court in Kursk remanded James Scott Rhys Anderson in custody, accusing him of participating in “armed hostilities on the territory of the Kursk region...</div> <div class="readtime"> 1 Min read </div> </div> </a> </div> </div> <div class="col-3 col-6-sm"> <div class="article-excerpt-default article-excerpt-default--ukraine_war" data-url="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/08/13/kadyrovs-troops-draw-pro-war-bloggers-ire-for-kursk-border-defense-failures-a86007" data-title="Kadyrov’s Troops Draw Pro-War Bloggers’ Ire for Kursk Border Defense Failures" > <a 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