Tragic Mine Blast Claims Two Lives in Kursk Region Border Area

Authorities in the southwestern Kursk region reported on Tuesday that two men lost their lives after stepping on a landmine near the Ukrainian border.

Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein identified the deceased as a 38-year-old and a 28-year-old, but did not disclose their names. The men reportedly entered a mine field close to the village of Popovka, which is approximately 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of the border with Ukraine.

Khinshtein stated that both individuals died at the site of the explosion. He urged residents to be extremely cautious due to the risk posed by unexploded ordnance in the border areas of the Kursk region, which experienced an incursion by Ukrainian forces last August.

In April, Russia’s military announced that it had eliminated all Ukrainian forces from the region after a successful counteroffensive, during which North Korea allegedly sent thousands of troops to support Moscow.

The process of clearing mines from areas reclaimed in the Kursk region began in March, and officials estimate it could take over a year to complete.

Last week, Khinshtein mentioned that a camera operator for state media was hospitalized after being injured in another mine explosion near the border.

Nikolai Ivanov, a representative for the Kursk region in the State Duma, remarked last month that life has become «even more challenging than during the occupation» due to ongoing Ukrainian airstrikes.

“It feels as if the Ukrainians are exacting revenge on us, the civilians, for their defeat in Kursk,” Ivanov told RTVI. “People are dying almost daily in various parts of the Kursk region.”