Ukraine, Russia reach a deal to evacuate Kursk Oblast residents, Russian official claims

Ukraine and Russia have agreed to evacuate residents of Kursk Oblast through Belarus to other regions of the country, a Russian official claimed on Feb. 24.

"There are people who are already in Sumy (Oblast) today. And there is an agreement with the Red Cross and the Ukrainian side that they will be evacuated through Belarus to Russia," Russian rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said on Feb. 24.

It is unclear how many people would be relocated under this agreement.

Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024 and still holds significant territory in the region. Many believe Ukraine’s control of Kursk Oblast could be a bargaining chip in potential peace negotiations with Russia.

Russian media has been reporting allegations that Ukrainian troops shot civilians, "including women, children and the elderly, both in their own homes and while attempting to evacuate them in civilian vehicles" in the areas where Ukrainian forces have been operating.

Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation has dismissed these claims as disinformation, adding that Russia has been working to create a narrative of Ukrainian atrocities.

"The Kremlin has been pumping in lots of money to create a 'Russian Bucha' (hundreds of civilians were massacred by Russian troops in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha during Russian occupation of the area in spring 2022)  in the information space by any means necessary, spreading fakes about the alleged 'terrible crimes' of Ukrainians on the territory of the Russian Federation for several months now," the center said in late January.

Russian authorities routinely appeal to the international community and accuse Ukraine of committing atrocities, while simultaneously block the International Red Cross (IRC) representatives from accessing the sites of these alleged crimes. Instead, they rely on the complicity of the Russian Red Cross office, whose neutrality and impartiality remains questionable.

Unlike these propaganda narratives, Russian war crimes have been documented by international organizations. The U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has recorded 79 executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by Russian forces since August 2024.

Russian officials claim 500 people are missing in Kursk Oblast, but many locals believe the true number is closer to 3,000.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has been pushing for Russia's war against Ukraine to be resolved swiftly. The first step came on Feb. 18 when Russian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia for preliminary talks without Ukraine.

Trump has previously promised to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours. Since his victory in the U.S. presidential election, that timeline has been revised.

The U.S administration has reportedly told European officials that it hopes to achieve a ceasefire agreement by Easter, which falls on April 20.