Russian Region Builds Fortifications in Fear of Ukraine's Advance

Russian authorities announced over the weekend the construction of fortifications along the border of the Kursk region in fear of Ukrainian advances.

The announcement comes nearly eight months after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his "special military operation" on the Eastern European country on February 24. Moscow initially aimed for a quick victory against Ukraine, but Kyiv's stronger-than-anticipated defense effort has blunted Russian gains.

In recent months, Ukraine has launched its own counteroffensives to retake territory claimed by Russia. The country has said its troops "liberated" thousands of square miles in southern and eastern Ukraine, though Russia has illegitimately annexed some of this territory as well following referendums, which were dismissed by the West as rigged.

As the fighting between Russia and Ukraine continues to intensify, one Russian region appears to be preparing for potential Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.

Kursk's Governor Roman Starovoyt announced the construction of new fortifications over Telegram on Sunday. Kursk is a region of about 1 million residents that shares its eastern border with Ukraine.

"This week, the work on the completion and construction of two reinforced defense lines of the Kursk Region was completed. The work was carried out jointly with the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Kursk Oblast Border Administration," Starovoyt wrote.

Starovoyt added that a third line of defense is set to be finished by November 5.

Directly to the south of Kursk, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, posted photographs of protective structures being constructed in his region to his Telegram on Saturday.

"We are ready to repel any encroachment on our territory," he wrote.

Ukraine has not formally launched invasions of either territory, and its leaders have not expressed interest in invading Russian territory. However, Russian leaders have accused Ukraine of launching missile attacks on both regions.

In June, Starovoyt said in a Telegram post that Ukraine shelled the city of Rylsk, but no one was injured. He said the region's border guards "retaliated against the attack."

Meanwhile, Gladkov said last week that the region was targeted with missiles, leaving four people injured, as the conflict escalated. He added that about 16 explosions were recorded in the city of Belgorod, which is home to more than 300,000 people, according to The Moscow Times.

Russia-Ukraine War Updates: Moscow Pulls Troops From Kherson

The fortifications come as Russia appears to continue losing ground in Ukraine.

Russian military leadership withdrew officers in Kherson, an occupied city Ukraine has aimed to reclaim in recent weeks—a sign that Russia is struggling to hold onto the key city, which is seen as a "gateway" to Crimea, the territory Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014—the Associated Press reported Sunday.

Russian-installed leaders also advised Kherson residents to evacuate the city in anticipation of Russian troops taking back the city, according to the AP. Kherson was one of the first cities taken by Russia at the start of the war and is one of the regions illegitimately annexed in September. Experts previously told Newsweek that Ukraine retaking Kherson could have a massive impact on Russia's military.

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment.