Russia reports Ukrainian losses in Kursk, speaks of 'provocation'; why Kiev bans officials from using Telegram

On September 20, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Ukraine of setting up concentration camps to detain civilians in the border area with Russia's Kursk province.

Ukrainian servicemen drive to the town of Liubimovka, Kursk province, Russia, on August 16. (Source: The Guardian)

At the same time, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Ukrainian army suffered heavy losses in the fighting in this province.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow has evidence that the Ukrainian military is violating international humanitarian law by arresting local residents and sending them to concentration camps.

On the Ukrainian side, the country has invited representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to residential areas in Kursk province that are under the control of the Eastern European country's army.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called this a “provocation” and hoped it would not be accepted.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry released figures on Kiev’s losses in Kursk. Specifically, in just one day, the Ukrainian army lost more than 370 soldiers and 18 armored vehicles. In total, since the beginning of the campaign, Ukraine is said to have lost more than 15,300 soldiers, 124 tanks and 56 infantry fighting vehicles in this direction.

Mr Peskov affirmed that the state of emergency in the areas of Kursk province controlled by Ukraine “will be resolved promptly”.

Also on September 20, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine announced a ban on the use of the Telegram messaging app on official devices used by state officials, military personnel and employees in important roles, believing that Russia could monitor both messages and users.

Accordingly, Mr. Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Council's anti-disinformation center, provided evidence that Russian special agencies can access Telegram messages, including deleted messages, as well as users' personal data.

The official posted on Telegram that the ban only applies to state devices, not personal phones.

According to the Telemetrio database, there are about 33,000 Telegram accounts in use in Ukraine.

The country's President Volodymyr Zelensky, a member of the Council, as well as military commanders, regional and city officials regularly post updates on the fighting and announce important decisions on their personal Telegram accounts.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nga-thong-bao-ton-that-cua-ukraine-tai-kursk-noi-ve-hanh-dong-khieu-khich-ly-do-kiev-cam-quan-chuc-su-dung-telegram-287095.html