Situation in Russia’s Belgorod Region ‘Difficult’, at Least One Killed, Government Says 

A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
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Situation in Russia’s Belgorod Region ‘Difficult’, at Least One Killed, Government Says 

A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)
A 24-year-old radio operator of the Chechen Akhmat battalion with the call sign "Swallow" stands by a burned out Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicle in the village of Kazachya Loknya, which was previously held by Ukrainian troops and recently retaken by Russia's armed forces, in the Sudzha district of the Kursk region on March 18, 2025, amid the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. (AFP)

The situation in Russia's Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine remains difficult, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Wednesday, a day after Moscow said its forces had thwarted attempts by Kyiv's troops to push across the border.

"The situation in Krasnoyaruzhsky district remains difficult," Gladkov, the head of the southwestern region, said in a video posted on Telegram.

At least one soldier was killed in shelling in the Krasnoyaruzhsky district, the Belgorod regional government said.

"As a result of the shelling, a soldier of the 'Orlan' unit was killed and four other people were wounded," the government said via its channel in Telegram, adding that there are casualties in other parts of the region.

Reuters could not independently confirm the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Residents of Krasnoyaruzhsky district wrote in local chats on social media that entry to its territory had been restricted by the authorities.

This was confirmed by the head of the district, Vitaly Kutomanov, who said that the temporary measures were taken "for security reasons".

Reuters was unable to ascertain whether the restrictions had been lifted.

Belgorod region has come under frequent drone and shelling attacks from Ukraine in the course of the three-year war.

Russia's Defense Ministry, in a statement reported by Russian news agencies, said on Tuesday that Russian forces had thwarted five Ukrainian attempts to push across the border into Belgorod.



UN: Wars Now Displace Over 122 Million People as Aid Funding Falls

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
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UN: Wars Now Displace Over 122 Million People as Aid Funding Falls

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo

The number of people displaced by war and persecution around the world climbed above 122 million this year due to a failure to resolve multi-year conflicts such as those in Sudan and Ukraine, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday, noting that funding to help the refugees has fallen to 2015 levels.

There were over 2 million more people displaced globally by the end of April 2025 than there were the previous year despite the return of nearly the same number of Syrians after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's rule, according to the report by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

The report attributed the rise to major conflicts in Sudan, Myanmar and Ukraine and a "continued failure to stop the fighting".

"We are living in a time of intense volatility in international relations, with modern warfare creating a fragile, harrowing landscape marked by acute human suffering," Grandi said in a statement alongside the report.

The surge in displacement numbers comes as funding to help them has fallen to 2015 levels when the total number of refugees around the world stood at about half current levels, Reuters quoted the UNHCR as saying.

It described the cuts in aid as "brutal and ongoing" and said the situation was untenable, leaving refugees and others vulnerable.

Humanitarians complain that a lack of political leadership in brokering peace deals is prolonging conflicts and stretching aid groups tasked with addressing their impacts.

The agency, whose largest donor has historically been the US, has previously said that the cuts put millions of lives at risk and left women refugees at a greater risk of rape and children at risk of trafficking.

UNHCR has not given details on which donors have reduced their funding. US President Donald Trump has cut most foreign aid while Britain and European neighbors are spending less on aid and more on defense.