Fighting has continued in Russia's Kursk region today - more than a week after Ukraine launched their cross-border attack
Senior Kyiv officials have said Ukrainian forces were creating a "buffer zone" and planning to organise humanitarian assistance and evacuation corridors for civilians.
Residents were reportedly abandoned by Russian authorities, and some Ukrainian troops have been delivering aid to the region.
One woman said the Russians left without announcing an evacuation.
"They just packed up and left and so many people were left without means of subsistence" she added.