The region also shares a border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast to the west.Ukrainian troops entered Kursk Oblast from Sumy Oblast on Aug. 6. Ukraine said on Aug. 13 that its military had control over 74 settlements in the region.Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency on Aug. 14, citing an "extremely difficult" situation in the region, and said he would request for a federal state of emergency to be declared.Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov announced that a federal emergency had been declared during an extraordinary meeting of the Russian government's Commission on Preventing and Eliminating Emergency Situations. The authorities in Belgorod Oblast have organized "comprehensive assistance to the affected population," Kurenkov said."However, the scale of what is happening does not allow the region to independently eliminate the consequences of the current emergency situation," he added.The Emergency Situations Ministry also said there are reports of "unjustified price increases for food and essential goods" in the region.