Authorities in the embroiled Kursk region of southwestern Russia have begun setting up makeshift bomb shelters near bus stops to protect civilians from ongoing air attacks.
“At my instruction, the Kursk city administration has identified key locations to place modular concrete shelters,” acting Kursk region Governor Alexei Smirnov wrote on Telegram. “We plan to equip 60 public transportation stops in [Kursk] with reinforced concrete shelters.”
Smirnov said that bomb shelters would also go up in the towns of Zheleznogorsk and Kurchatov — both located west of the regional capital and north of reported fighting between Ukrainian and Russian forces closer to the southern border.
The move comes more than two weeks since Kyiv launched its surprise offensive into the Kursk region. Similar shelters were installed in the city of Belgorod in January amid air attacks there.
Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov previously said that Russian National Guard troops had tested the shelters and insisted that they are effective in protecting civilians.
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