In a desperate bid to assist residents caught up in the ongoing conflict, a member of Russia's State Duma has reached out to the Red Cross for help in evacuating civilians from the Kursk region to Ukraine. Numerous appeals to Russia's President Putin for assistance went unanswered, prompting the lawmaker to seek international support.

The heart-wrenching plea was made by residents of the Sudzha district in the Kursk region, who took to the internet on August 8 to request President Vladimir Putin's intervention in evacuating civilians affected by the incursion of Ukrainian forces. Contrary to Russian propaganda claims of complete defeat, the residents asserted that their homes were being destroyed. They highlighted the absence of instructions from local authorities and the lack of organized evacuation efforts, leaving people to fend for themselves in the midst of the chaos.

Despite more than a month passing since their initial appeals, the residents' pleas remained unanswered. They expressed frustration at their inability to contact family members in the conflict zones. Moscow's response thus far has been limited to offering compensation of 10,000 rubles ($110) to affected individuals.

In a bid to resolve the urgent humanitarian crisis, residents took matters into their own hands and penned a series of letters requesting the opening of a humanitarian corridor for civilian evacuation. Appealing to President Putin, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmitry Lubinets, they urged prompt action.

Efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to negotiate the creation of a humanitarian corridor between the warring parties proved unsuccessful, as both sides failed to reach an agreement. According to the volunteer organization "Lisa Alert," at least 700 residents from various settlements in the Sudzha district, including pensioners, families, and priests, are trapped in areas controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the actual number potentially being much higher.

Deputy Dmitry Kuznetsov, representing Russia's State Duma, recently published a letter on Telegram addressed to the President of the Red Cross, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger. In his letter, Kuznetsov proposed two potential options for the Red Cross. The first involved establishing a route through the front lines, while the second, albeit potentially controversial, suggested evacuating civilians with Red Cross guarantees to Ukraine, then Belarus, and finally back to Russia through a third country. The lawmaker emphasized that this course of action would not involve military intervention and would prioritize saving lives.

The population of Sudzha, as of January 1, was approximately 4,941, with a total of 24,336 individuals residing in the wider district. On September 11, Alexey Smirnov, the head of the Kursk region, claimed that over 150,000 residents had already been evacuated from border areas to safer territories in Russia.

With the situation in Kursk growing increasingly dire, the plea for aid from the Red Cross represents a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered residents. It remains to be seen whether the international organization will be able to facilitate the much-needed evacuation, providing a lifeline to those affected by the conflict.