For the first time since World War II, Russian soil is facing an invasion, a reality Russian state media initially downplayed. Antipova's concerns grew when she saw photos online of Ukrainian soldiers near her parents' village.
"We believed the Russian army would protect us. I'm shocked by how quickly the Ukrainian forces advanced," Antipova said from Kursk, carefully avoiding the term "war," which is banned in Russia.
By Friday, Ukraine's military claimed to have deployed about 10,000 troops, capturing roughly 1,100 square kilometers of the Kursk region, primarily around Sudzha. This incursion has exposed the unpreparedness of Russian border officials. Many locals accuse the government of downplaying the Ukrainian attack, leading to misinformation about the true danger.
The official evacuation was declared a day later, but many Kursk residents blame the government and state media for keeping them uninformed. Outraged residents have taken to social media to express their frustrations.
"I don't know who I hate more now: the Ukrainian army that captured our land or our government that allowed it to happen," wrote Nelli Tikhonova on a Kursk group on VKontakte.
Despite Ukrainian troops' presence in Sudzha, Russian state television continued to claim that the Russian army had "prevented the violation of the border." President Vladimir Putin referred to the events as a "situation in the border area of Kursk," avoiding any mention of the incursion.
Air raids have become routine in Kursk, a city of about a million people, with many locals either ignoring the sirens or seeking shelter. The influx of displaced Russians from the border areas has brought home the reality of the war, with long queues for humanitarian aid becoming a common sight in Kursk.
"Things happened in the past two and a half years, but the scale was completely different," said Stas Volobuyev. "There are so many refugees, they have nothing. People had to flee in shorts and flip-flops."
Volobuyev and Antipova lament the government's failure to help the refugees and stop the incursion. The Kremlin has allocated 3 billion roubles (£26 million) for a fortification line in the Kursk region, but locals had to crowdfund for supplies for the troops stationed there.
As Sudzha experienced a communications blackout, Antipova went to IDP centers in Kursk to look for her parents. Liza Alert, a nationwide charity for missing people, reported nearly 1,000 missing notices in the region.
"It's scary when you see you're on your own and you have no one to turn to," Antipova said. "Volunteers are doing the work. Local authorities are nowhere to be seen."
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