Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia has direct evidence that Ukrainian armed forces are creating concentration camps in the immediate vicinity of the Russian border. According to Zakharova, these camps are holding local residents who found themselves in the combat zone.

According to her, the Ukrainian side, in the conditions of the active phase of military actions in the border territories, resorts to the most serious violations of international humanitarian law. The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry added that the Ukrainian military is capturing local residents, placing them in camps where they can be subjected to various forms of violence and torture.

At the same time, several days ago, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, called Ukraine’s decision to invite representatives of the UN and the ICRC to the Kursk settlements under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces a provocation.

"We expect that such provocative statements will not be perceived by the addressees. Of course, we expect a sober assessment of such provocative statements"“— said Mr. Peskov.